Addy Francis, Romig Thomas, Wassermann Marion
University of Hohenheim, Parasitology Unit 220B, Emil-Wolff-Str, 34 70599 Stuttgart, Germany; University for Development Studies, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Biotechnology, P. O. Box TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana.
University of Hohenheim, Parasitology Unit 220B, Emil-Wolff-Str, 34 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2018 Dec;14:106-110. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2018.09.009. Epub 2018 Sep 28.
Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica are the causal agents of the zoonotic food-born disease fascioliasis. Africa is primarily endemic to F. gigantica, although sympatric presence of F. hepatica is known for some countries. The present situation of fascioliasis in western Africa, and Ghana in particular, is still poorly understood, and studies including molecular identification of species and variants are lacking. In this explorative study we genotyped 19 Fasciola isolates obtained by opportunistic sampling in the Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana. All isolates were identified as F. gigantica based on a partial sequence of the 28S rRNA (548 bp) gene. In addition, the complete mtDNA nad1 (903 bp) gene was employed to infer intraspecific microvariation among isolates. Six nad1 haplotypes were identified that clustered into two West African haplogroups when compared with previous records from Nigeria. These preliminary data suggest that fascioliasis in Ghana is (at least) mainly caused by F. gigantica, and that transmission may be principally autochthonous. However, the small number of isolates prevents firm conclusions, and this study is intended to stimulate molecular surveys on this neglected disease in a neglected region.
肝片吸虫和巨片吸虫是食源性人畜共患病片形吸虫病的病原体。非洲主要流行巨片吸虫，不过一些国家也存在肝片吸虫与巨片吸虫同域分布的情况。西非尤其是加纳的片形吸虫病现状仍知之甚少，缺乏包括物种和变种分子鉴定在内的研究。在这项探索性研究中，我们对通过机会性抽样从加纳上东部和上西部地区获得的19株片吸虫分离株进行了基因分型。根据28S rRNA（548 bp）基因的部分序列，所有分离株均被鉴定为巨片吸虫。此外，完整的线粒体DNA nad1（903 bp）基因被用于推断分离株之间的种内微变异。与尼日利亚之前的记录相比，鉴定出了6种nad1单倍型，它们聚为两个西非单倍群。这些初步数据表明，加纳的片形吸虫病（至少）主要由巨片吸虫引起，传播可能主要是本地传播。然而，分离株数量较少，无法得出确凿结论，本研究旨在推动在这个被忽视地区对这种被忽视疾病进行分子调查。
