Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Arthropod-Borne Diseases 2322-1984 13 2 2019 05 25 153 164 EN Eman Abouelhassan Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt Hamdy ElGawady Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt Ahmad AbdelAal Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt Amal El-Gayar Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt Maria Gassent Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A and M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America 2018 03 15 Background: Ticks are obligate blood-sucking ectoparasites of vertebrates. Since many tick identification studies are based on the analysis of 16S rDNA, 12S rDNA and ITS-1, 2 rDNA genes, we aimed to compare the performance of these molecular markers of common use for the identification of ticks, under a diagnostic laboratory environment. Methods: Overall, 192 tick specimens were collected through the state of Texas  from January  2014 to August 2015 and the species was determined by both morphology and molecular amplification using the 16S rDNA, 12S rDNA, ITS1 and ITS2. Results: The species collected were identified by molecular techniques as Dermacentor albipictus, D. variabilis, Am­blyomma americanum, Ixodes scapularis, A. cajennense, Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Carios capensis. ITS1 and ITS2 were not able to prove consistent amplification and therefore have been considered as potential markers for tick iden­tification. Conclusion: The use of mitochondrial genes in tick identification showed to provide more consistent results in the diagnostic environment. https://jad.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jad/article/view/823 https://jad.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jad/article/download/823/451