Short communication: Morphological and genetic characterisation of selected Contracaecum (Nematoda: Anisakidae) larvae in Iran

In their life cycle, Contracaecum spp infect marine mammals and piscivorous birds as definitive hosts and crustaceans and a wide range of fish species as their intermediate hosts. Humans can accidentally be infected with larval stages of these nematodes, leading to a severe disease generally known as anisakidosis. The disease now is considered as an emergence zoonotic disease and therefore, these parasites attracted attention of scientists in different parts of the world and various aspects of their biology and lifecycle is being investigated. In Iran, there is a paucity of information on these socioeconomically important parasites. The present study is a preliminary study toward genetic characterisation and description of anisakid nematodes in Iran, using a combined molecular and morphological approach