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Prevalence and genetic analysis of Enterobius vermicularis in schoolchildren in lower northern Thailand

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Abstract

Enterobius vermicularis, a nematode parasite with a global distribution causes enterobiasis in schoolchildren and is considered a neglected parasite. An understanding of the prevalence and genetic diversity of enterobiasis is crucial for appropriate control measures. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to study the prevalence and genetic diversity of E. vermicularis in schoolchildren from lower northern Thailand, based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences. Using the scotch tape technique, 7.4% (188/2544) of schoolchildren from 21 primary schools were found positive for E. vermicularis eggs, which is a relatively low infection rate. Phylogenetic trees of partial COI sequences (397 bp) revealed similar topologies using maximum likelihood (ML) and neighbor-joining (NJ) methods and identified E. vermicularis type A (105 sequences) and B (1 sequence). Haplotype network analysis of the COI sequences demonstrated a high haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.9028). In contrast, phylogenetic analysts of a 343 bp region of the ITS2 locus (52 sequences) revealed a monophyletic group. More sequence analyses of E. vermicularis from humans and other hosts in Thailand are necessary to better understand the genetic diversity of this parasite.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Mr. Siwanut Sonpom and Miss Paramaporn Muangpat for their help in the sample collection.

Funding

This study was funded by Naresuan University (Grant Number R2561B023).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand

    Pichamon Janthu, Abdulhakam Dumidae, Chanakan Subkrasae, Jiranun Ardpairin, Aunchalee Thanwisai & Apichat Vitta

  2. Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand

    Saengchai Nateeworanart

  3. Centre of Excellence in Medical Biotechnology (CEMB), Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand

    Aunchalee Thanwisai & Apichat Vitta

  4. Center of Excellence for Biodiversity, Faculty of Sciences, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand

    Aunchalee Thanwisai & Apichat Vitta

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  1. Pichamon Janthu
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  2. Abdulhakam Dumidae
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Contributions

P.J. performed experiments, analyzed data, and wrote the original draft paper. A.D. performed experiments and analyzed data. J.A. performed experiments. S.N. performed experiments. A.T. provided materials and reagents and analyzed data. A.V. performed experiments, provided materials and reagents, and wrote—reviewed and edited—paper. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Apichat Vitta.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval

The human subject protocol was approved by the Naresuan University Institutional Review Board (Project Ethic No: IRB No. 0258/62), and the biosafety protocols were approved by the Naresuan University Institutional Biosafety Committee (Project No: NUIBC MI 62–03-03).

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Written informed consent was obtained from the parents.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Janthu, P., Dumidae, A., Subkrasae, C. et al. Prevalence and genetic analysis of Enterobius vermicularis in schoolchildren in lower northern Thailand. Parasitol Res 121, 2955–2965 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07626-0

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