First molecular confirmation of the presence of Hippobosca longipennis (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) and infestation of sheltered dogs in Morocco.

Background: Hippobosca longipennis (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) is an obligate hematophagous ectoparasite that infests a wide range of vertebrate hosts across Africa, Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It is a potential vector of Acanthocheilonema dracunculoides (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae) and serves as a phoretic host for Cheyletiella yasguri (Acari: Cheyletiellidae), a known causative agent of dermatitis in both dogs and humans. Due to the lack of data on hippoboscids in Morocco, this study aimed to investigate the louse fly fauna of sheltered dogs in the country as well as the filarial nematodes they may harbor.

Methods: Between April and November 2022, 230 sheltered dogs from four cities in Central Morocco were randomly examined as part of an entomological and epidemiological study on arthropod vectors and canine vector-borne pathogens. All visible louse flies on the domestic dogs were randomly collected and then morphologically and molecularly identified. DNA was subsequently extracted for screening of filarial nematodes.

Results: A total of 30 dogs (13.1%) were infested with 35 H. longipennis louse flies, consisting of 33 adults (10 males, 19 non-gravid females, and four gravid females) and two larvae. Two representative specimens were confirmed through DNA barcoding of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. All fly pools (gravid females, non-gravid females, males, and larvae) tested negative for filarial nematodes in the 12S rRNA PCR.

Conclusions: This study represents the first morphological and molecular characterization of H. longipennis flies in Morocco. Further national-scale investigations are needed to address gaps in the knowledge of unrecorded hippoboscid species and the pathogens of medical and veterinary importance that they may carry.