First detection of Dicrocoelium dendriticum (Digenea: Dicrocoelidae) from cattle in the West Bank, Palestine

Dicrocoelium dendriticum is a globally distributed trematode that infects the bile ducts of ruminants and causes dicrocoeliasis, leading to economic losses in livestock production. Despite favorable ecological conditions, its presence in cattle had not previously reported in Palestine. This short communication reports the first detection and characterization of D. dendriticum in cattle from the West Bank, Palestine. Adult flukes were recovered from bile ducts during routine post-mortem inspection at Al-Bireh slaughterhouse and identified based on morphological characteristics. Molecular confirmation was performed using PCR analysis targeting the mitochondrial NAD1 gene, followed by sequencing and BLAST analysis, which showed 100% identity with reference D. dendriticum sequences in GenBank. The combined morphological and molecular findings confirm the occurrence of D. dendriticum in cattle in Palestine. These results provide baseline data for the regional epidemiology of dicrocoeliasis and highlight the need for broader parasitological and molecular surveillance in livestock to assess prevalence, genetic diversity and potential economic and public health implications.