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First molecular evidence of the simultaneous human infection with two species of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato: Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto and Echinococcus canadensis

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Abstract

Cystic echinococcosis is a widespread zoonotic parasitic disease especially in Tunisia which is one of the most endemic countries in the Mediterranean area. The etiological agent, Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato, implies dogs and other canids as definitive hosts and different herbivore species as intermediate hosts. Human contamination occurs during the consumption of parasite eggs passed in the environment through canid feces. Hydatid cysts coming from a child operated for multiple echinococcosis were collected and analyzed in order to genotype and to obtain some epidemiological molecular information. Three targets, ribosomal DNA ITS1 fragment, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1), and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxydase subunit 1 (CO1) genes, were amplified and analyzed by RFLP and sequencing approach. This study presents the first worldwide report in human of a simultaneous infection with Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto (genotype G1) and Echinococcus canadensis (genotype G6) species. This is also the first report of the presence of E. canadensis in the Tunisian population which argues in favor of a greater importance of this species in human infestation in Tunisia than previously believed.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The authors are grateful to Gérald Umhang, (ANSES, National Reference Laboratory for Echinococcus spp., Nancy, France), for critically reading the manuscript. The authors also wish to thank Myriam Hizem-Zaddem for his assistance with the linguistic part of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LP3M: Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie Médicale et Moléculaire, LR12ES08, Département de Biologie Clinique B, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Monastir, 5000, Monastir, Tunisie

    Myriam Oudni-M’rad, Selim M’rad, Habib Mezhoud & Hamouda Babba

  2. Service de Chirurgie Pédiatrique, EPS F. Bourguiba, 5000, Monastir, Tunisie

    Amine Ksia, Rachida Lamiri, Mongi Mekki & Abdellatif Nouri

  3. Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, EPS F. Bourguiba, 5000, Monastir, Tunisie

    Hamouda Babba

Authors
  1. Myriam Oudni-M’rad
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  2. Selim M’rad
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  3. Amine Ksia
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  4. Rachida Lamiri
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  5. Mongi Mekki
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  6. Abdellatif Nouri
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  7. Habib Mezhoud
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  8. Hamouda Babba
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Correspondence to Myriam Oudni-M’rad.

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Oudni-M’rad, M., M’rad, S., Ksia, A. et al. First molecular evidence of the simultaneous human infection with two species of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato: Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto and Echinococcus canadensis . Parasitol Res 115, 1065–1069 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4836-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4836-x

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