Abstract
In the present study, 16 samples representing Fasciola (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda: Digenea) from sheep and cattle from seven geographical locations in Niger were characterized genetically by sequences of the first (ITS-1) and second (ITS-2) internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA). The ITS rDNA was amplified from individual liver flukes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the amplicons were sequenced directly. The lengths of the ITS-1 and ITS-2 sequences were 422 and 361/362 bp, respectively, for all liver fluke samples sequenced. Comparison of the ITS sequences of the Niger Fasciola samples examined in the present study with that of Fasciola hepatica, Fasciola gigantica, and the “intermediate Fasciola” from elsewhere revealed that the Niger Fasciola samples examined represent two species, namely F. hepatica and F. gigantica. This is the first demonstration of the existence of both F. hepatica and F. gigantica in Niger by a genetic approach, which provides foundation for further studies on F. hepatica and F. gigantica in Niger and has implications for studying the population genetic structure of the Niger Fasciola and for the diagnosis and control of the disease they cause.
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Acknowledgments
Project support was provided in part by grants from the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in Chinese Universities (grant no. IRT0723) to XQZ and from the International Foundation for Science (IFS; grant no. B/4184-1) to HA. The authors would like to thank the kind collaboration of many people for assistance in collection of Fasciola samples. The experiments comply with the current laws of the countries in which the experiments were performed.
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H. Ali and L. Ai contributed equally to this work.
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Ali, H., Ai, L., Song, H.Q. et al. Genetic characterisation of Fasciola samples from different host species and geographical localities revealed the existence of F. hepatica and F. gigantica in Niger. Parasitol Res 102, 1021–1024 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0870-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0870-7