Dataset Information

The Schistosoma indicum species group in Nepal: presence of a new lineage of schistosome and use of the Indoplanorbis exustus species complex of snail hosts.

ABSTRACT: From 2007-2014, 19,360 freshwater snails from the Terai and Hilly regions of Nepal were screened for cercariae of mammalian schistosomes. Based on analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I, 12S, 16S and 28S sequences (3,675bp) of the cercariae recovered, we provide, to our knowledge, the first report of the Schistosoma indicum species group in Nepal. Five samples of Schistosoma nasale, nine of Schistosoma spindale and 17 of Schistosoma sp. were recovered, all from the snail Indoplanorbis exustus. The last-mentioned lineage failed to group in any of our analyses with S. nasale, S. spindale or S. indicum. It diverged in cox1 sequence from them by 16%, 13% and 13%, respectively, levels of difference comparable to well-studied species pairs of Schistosoma. Analysis of cox1, 16S and internal transcribed spacer 1 sequences (1,874bp) for Nepalese specimens of I. exustus was also surprising in revealing the presence of four genetically distinct clades. They diverged from one another at levels comparable to those noted for species pairs in the sister genus Bulinus. There was no obvious pattern of use by Nepalese Schistosoma of the Indoplanorbis clades. We found high support for a close relationship between S. indicum and Schistosoma haematobium groups, but failed to retrieve support for a clean separation of the two, with a tendency for S. nasale to fall as the most basal representative. If this pattern holds, hypotheses for the origin of the Asian Indoplanorbis-transmitted S. indicum group from the Bulinus-transmitted S. haematobium group may require modification, including consideration of more contemporaneous origins of the two groups. The Indian subcontinent is under-studied with respect to schistosome diversity and our current knowledge of the S. indicum and I. exustus species groups is inadequate. Further study is warranted given the ability of indicum group species to cause veterinary problems and cercarial dermatitis, with a worrisome potential in the future to establish infections in humans.

SUBMITTER: Devkota R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4651714 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The Schistosoma indicum species group in Nepal: presence of a new lineage of schistosome and use of the Indoplanorbis exustus species complex of snail hosts.

Devkota Ramesh R Brant Sara V SV Loker Eric S ES

International journal for parasitology 20150915 13

From 2007-2014, 19,360 freshwater snails from the Terai and Hilly regions of Nepal were screened for cercariae of mammalian schistosomes. Based on analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I, 12S, 16S and 28S sequences (3,675bp) of the cercariae recovered, we provide, to our knowledge, the first report of the Schistosoma indicum species group in Nepal. Five samples of Schistosoma nasale, nine of Schistosoma spindale and 17 of Schistosoma sp. were recovered, all from the snail Indoplanorbis ex ...[more]

PMID: 26385438

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Project description:There is a need for recent information on intermediate snail hosts of schistosomes in The Gambia; the previous studies were conducted over three decades ago. This study assessed the incidence, species diversity, distribution and infection status of schistosome intermediate snail hosts in the country. Malacological surveys were conducted in all 5 regions of The Gambia: Central River Region (CRR), Upper River Region (URR), Western Region (WR), Lower River Region (LRR) and North Bank Region (NBR). Sampling of snails was undertaken at 114 sites that included permanent water bodies such as streams (bolongs), rice fields, irrigation canals and swamps; and temporal (seasonal) laterite pools. Ecological and physicochemical factors of sites were recorded. Snails were identified morphologically and screened for schistosome infections using molecular techniques. Freshwater snails were found at more than 50% (60/114) of sites sampled. While three species of Bulinus were collected, no Biomphalaria snails were found in any of the sites sampled. Of the total 2877 Bulinus snails collected, 75.9% were identified as Bulinus senegalensis, 20.9% as Bulinus forskalii and 3.2% as Bulinus truncatus. Seasonal pools produced the largest number of snails, and CRR was the region with the largest number of snails. Bulinus senegalensis was found more in seasonal pools as opposed to permanent sites, where B. forskalii and B. truncatus were observed to thrive. Bulinus snails were more common in seasonal sites where aquatic vegetation was present. In permanent sites, the abundance of snails increased with increase in water temperature and decrease in water pH. Bulinus senegalensis was found infected with both S. haematobium and S. bovis, while B. forskalii and B. truncatus had only S. bovis infection. While the human parasite S. haematobium was restricted to just four sites, the livestock parasite S. bovis had a much more widespread geographical distribution across both CRR and URR. This new information on the distribution of intermediate snail hosts of schistosomes in The Gambia will be vital for the national schistosomiasis control initiative.

Project description:BACKGROUNDThe planorbid snail Indoplanorbis exustus is the sole intermediate host for the Schistosoma indicum species group, trematode parasites responsible for cattle schistosomiasis and human cercarial dermatitis. This freshwater snail is widely distributed in Southern Asia, ranging from Iran to China eastwards including India and from the southeastern Himalayas to Southeast Asia southwards. The veterinary and medical importance of this snail explains the interest in understanding its geographical distribution patterns and evolutionary history. In this study, we used a large and comprehensive sampling throughout Indo-Malaya, including specimens from South India and Indonesia, areas that have been formerly less studied.RESULTSThe phylogenetic inference revealed five highly divergent clades (genetic distances among clades: 4.4-13.9%) that are morphologically indistinguishable, supporting the assumption that this presumed nominal species may represent a cryptic species complex. The species group may have originated in the humid subtropical plains of Nepal or in southern adjacent regions in the Early Miocene. The major cladogenetic events leading to the fives clades occurred successively from the Early Miocene to the Early Pleistocene, coinciding with major periods of monsoonal intensification associated with major regional paleogeographic events in the Miocene and repeated climate changes due to the Plio-Pleistocene climatic oscillations. Our coverage of the Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) highlights the presence of a single clade there. Contrary to expectations, an AMOVA did not reveal any population genetic structure among islands or along a widely recognised zoogeographical regional barrier, suggesting a recent colonisation independent of natural biogeographical constraints. Neutrality tests and mismatch distributions suggested a sudden demographic and spatial population expansion that could have occurred naturally in the Pleistocene or may possibly result of a modern colonisation triggered by anthropogenic activities.CONCLUSIONSEven though Indoplanorbis is the main focus of this study, our findings may also have important implications for fully understanding its role in hosting digenetic trematodes. The existence of a cryptic species complex, the historical phylogeographical patterns and the recent range expansion in the IAA provide meaningful insights to the understanding and monitoring of the parasites potential spread. It brings a substantial contribution to veterinary and public health issues.

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Project description:BackgroundSnails of the genus Biomphalaria are intermediate hosts of Schistosoma mansoni, the causative agent of the human intestinal schistosomiasis. Two Biomphalaria species (Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Biomphalaria camerunensis) are involved in the transmission in Cameroon, where the disease is present nationwide. However, difficulty in the identification of both vectors impedes proper assessment of the epidemiological burden caused by each species. To overcome this issue, we designed a PCR-based molecular diagnostic tool to improve the identification of these species.MethodsWe analyzed the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of Biomphalaria ribosomal DNA (rDNA) using polymerase chain reaction amplification (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).ResultsThe amplification of the ITS2 region of Biomphalaria snails resulted in a 490 bp fragment and produced two profiles for each species after digestion with the restriction enzyme Hpa II. The profile 1 (Bc-HpaII-1: 212-bp and 139-bp bands) for B. camerunensis, was common in all the sampling points; the profile 2 (Bc-HpaII-2: 212-bp and 189-bp bands), was only observed in the Lake Monoun Njindoun sampling site. Biomphalaria pfeifferi profile 1 (Bpf-HpaII-1: 211-bp and 128-bp bands) was common in most of B. pfeifferi sampling points; the profile 2 (Bpf-HpaII-2: 289-bp and 128-bp bands) was only observed in Mokolo (Far North Cameroon).The second restriction enzyme TaqαI, revealed three band profiles, Bc-TaqαI-1 (243-bp, 136-bp and 118-bp bands) and Bc-TaqαI-2 (244-bp, 136-bp and 99-bp) for B. camerunensis and Bpf-TaqαI-1 (242-bp, 135-bp and 107-bp bands) for B. pfeifferi. Sequencing analysis revealed the occurrence of six haplotypes for B. camerunensis and three haplotypes for B. pfeifferi. The level of gene flow was low and the Biomphalaria populations were not in demographic expansion according to neutrality tests (Tajima's D and Fu's Fs).ConclusionsThe PCR-RFLP technique revealed genetic diversity in Biomphalaria snails, and the combination with the morphological method could improve the identification of B. pfeifferi and B. camerunensis in Cameroon. This could help focus on the infection to evaluate the transmission risk with respect of the different species and to develop efficient and cost-effective control measures.

Dataset Information

The Schistosoma indicum species group in Nepal: presence of a new lineage of schistosome and use of the Indoplanorbis exustus species complex of snail hosts.

Publications

The Schistosoma indicum species group in Nepal: presence of a new lineage of schistosome and use of the Indoplanorbis exustus species complex of snail hosts.

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