State Key Laboratory of Hulless Barley and Yak Germplasm Resources and Genetic Improvement, Lhasa, China.
Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa, China.
Parasitol Res. 2024 Nov 1;123(11):366. doi: 10.1007/s00436-024-08383-y.
Fasciolosis is a parasitic disease affecting humans and livestock, caused by digenean trematodes of the genus Fasciola, primarily F. hepatica and F. gigantica. This study investigates the coexistence of these species and their hybrids in yaks from Tibet, China. We analyzed the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, including ITS1 and ITS2, through Sanger sequencing and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) to assess single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Our results reveal that one specimen (NM008B) is identical to pure F. hepatica, while another (NM008A) contains genetic information from both F. hepatica and F. gigantica, indicating potential hybridization or introgression. The morphological analysis reveals that the collected adult F. hepatica specimens exhibit distinct characteristics, while the hybrid specimens display "intermediate" features of F. hepatica and F. gigantica. This study is the first to document the coexistence of F. hepatica and hybrid Fasciola forms in a single yak. The findings underscore the complexities of hybridization dynamics and the necessity for advanced molecular techniques in accurately identifying Fasciola species. Future research should focus on mitochondrial DNA and other nuclear gene analysis to further elucidate the nature of these hybrids and their ecological implications.
片形吸虫病是一种影响人类和家畜的寄生虫病，由双腔科片形属的吸虫引起，主要是肝片形吸虫和巨片形吸虫。本研究调查了中国西藏牦牛中这些物种及其杂种的共存情况。我们通过 Sanger 测序和下一代测序 (NGS) 分析了核 rDNA 内转录间隔区 (ITS) 区域，包括 ITS1 和 ITS2，以评估单核苷酸多态性 (SNP)。我们的结果表明，一个标本 (NM008B) 与纯肝片形吸虫完全相同，而另一个标本 (NM008A) 含有肝片形吸虫和巨片形吸虫的遗传信息，表明存在潜在的杂交或基因渗入。形态分析表明，收集到的成年肝片形吸虫标本具有明显的特征，而杂种标本则显示出肝片形吸虫和巨片形吸虫的“中间”特征。本研究首次在单个牦牛中记录了肝片形吸虫和杂种片形吸虫的共存。研究结果强调了杂交动态的复杂性，以及在准确鉴定片形吸虫物种方面需要先进的分子技术。未来的研究应集中于线粒体 DNA 和其他核基因分析，以进一步阐明这些杂种的性质及其生态意义。
