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The complete mitochondrial genome of the dwarf tapeworm Hymenolepis nana—a neglected zoonotic helminth

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Abstract

Hymenolepis nana, commonly known as the dwarf tapeworm, is one of the most common tapeworms of humans and rodents and can cause hymenolepiasis. Although this zoonotic tapeworm is of socio-economic significance in many countries of the world, its genetics, systematics, epidemiology, and biology are poorly understood. In the present study, we sequenced and characterized the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of H. nana. The mt genome is 13,764 bp in size and encodes 36 genes, including 12 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA, and 22 transfer RNA genes. All genes are transcribed in the same direction. The gene order and genome content are completely identical with their congener Hymenolepis diminuta. Phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated amino acid sequences of 12 protein-coding genes by Bayesian inference, Maximum likelihood, and Maximum parsimony showed the division of class Cestoda into two orders, supported the monophylies of both the orders Cyclophyllidea and Pseudophyllidea. Analyses of mt genome sequences also support the monophylies of the three families Taeniidae, Hymenolepididae, and Diphyllobothriidae. This novel mt genome provides a useful genetic marker for studying the molecular epidemiology, systematics, and population genetics of the dwarf tapeworm and should have implications for the diagnosis, prevention, and control of hymenolepiasis in humans.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (Grant No. 2013DFA31840) and the Science Fund for Creative Research Groups of Gansu Province (Grant No. 1210RJIA006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, People’s Republic of China

    Tian Cheng, Guo-Hua Liu, Hui-Qun Song & Xing-Quan Zhu

  2. College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510642, People’s Republic of China

    Tian Cheng & Rui-Qing Lin

  3. Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510642, People’s Republic of China

    Tian Cheng & Rui-Qing Lin

  4. Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, 225009, People’s Republic of China

    Xing-Quan Zhu

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  1. Tian Cheng
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  2. Guo-Hua Liu
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  3. Hui-Qun Song
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  4. Rui-Qing Lin
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  5. Xing-Quan Zhu
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Correspondence to Rui-Qing Lin or Xing-Quan Zhu.

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Cheng, T., Liu, GH., Song, HQ. et al. The complete mitochondrial genome of the dwarf tapeworm Hymenolepis nana—a neglected zoonotic helminth. Parasitol Res 115, 1253–1262 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4862-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4862-8

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