Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380000, Chile.
Laboratorio de Medicina Veterinaria, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2024 Nov;56:101130. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101130. Epub 2024 Sep 27.
Liver fluke infection, caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica, is a parasitic zoonotic disease affecting various mammals, including humans, and has significant implications for public, animal, and ecosystem health. This study provides the first genetic characterization of F. hepatica in Chile, focusing on the complete mitochondrial gene cox1. Samples were collected from two different host species: cattle and horses. Our findings revealed that 70 % of detected haplotypes were found in either cattle or horses, which coincides with their geographical origin. Interestingly, the use of full-length sequences resulted in the identification of 80 % unique sequences, whereas this reduced to 45 % when analyzing the traditionally used short sequences. This underestimation of genetic diversity suggests that broader sequencing efforts might be essential for a more accurate understanding of F. hepatica genetic landscape. This research underscores the importance of understanding the genetic variability in parasites to improve strategies for disease control and treatment.
肝片形吸虫感染是一种由片形科吸虫引起的寄生虫病，可感染包括人类在内的多种哺乳动物，对公共卫生、动物和生态系统健康都具有重要意义。本研究首次对智利的肝片形吸虫进行了基因特征分析，重点研究了完整的线粒体基因 cox1。样本取自两种不同的宿主物种：牛和马。我们的研究结果表明，检测到的单倍型中有 70%存在于牛或马中，这与它们的地理起源相符。有趣的是，使用全长序列鉴定出了 80%的独特序列，而分析传统使用的短序列时，这一比例降至 45%。这种对遗传多样性的低估表明，更广泛的测序工作对于更准确地了解肝片形吸虫的遗传景观可能至关重要。这项研究强调了了解寄生虫遗传变异性的重要性，这有助于改善疾病控制和治疗策略。
