He Ping, Hu Yunyi, Khan Jehangir, Huang Yan, Yuan Zhanhong, Sanogo Benjamin, Gao Du, Liu Jun, Wu De, Chen Jingdiao, Wu Zhongdao, Liang Song, Sun Xi, Lin Datao
Medical Department of Xizang, Minzu University, Xianyang, China.
Department of Parasitology, Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Ministry of Education), Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Senen University, Guangzhou, China.
Trop Med Health. 2025 Jul 28;53(1):98. doi: 10.1186/s41182-025-00780-y.
Biomphalaria and Physa (order Gastropoda) serve as vectors and reservoirs for infectious agents that affect both humans and animals. This study provides updated insights into the epidemiology, morphology, phylogeny, and haplotype diversity of Biomphalaria and Physa snails in Guangdong Province, southern China.
Field surveys were conducted across Guangdong Province from 2016 to 2023. Morphological observations included assessment of snail shape, shell height, and aperture width. Molecular analysis targeted several genes, including Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI), internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 18S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and 28S rRNA. Evolutionary trees were constructed with neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood methods. Haplotype networks were generated from COI sequences collected from multiple geographic locations.
Physa acuta was detected in 92% of surveyed sites, showing broad distribution and notable mitochondrial diversity (15 haplotypes). The dominant haplotype (Hap_3) was shared with sequences from Chile and the Netherlands. In contrast, Biomphalaria straminea was found at 62% of sites and displayed limited genetic variation (2 haplotypes), despite visible morphological dimorphism (red/black forms). Phylogenetic analysis exhibited minimal differences in 16S rRNA and COI gene sequences among turret snail strains, with B. straminea clustering closely to South American lineages. Morphometric analyses revealed significant size differences among strains, for example, Shuanglong B. straminea had a shell width of 8.74 ± 0.26 mm, whereas Zengcheng P. acuta exhibited 11.07 ± 0.90 mm. In contrast, analysis of 28S and 18S rRNA confirmed species boundaries but lacked at the intraspecific level.
Our analysis of multiple target genes confirms that mitochondrial markers (COI and 16S rRNA) are effective for studying the evolutionary dynamics of freshwater invasive snails. Physa acuta exhibits a widespread distribution and notable genetic diversity across Guangdong, while B. straminea shows limited genetic variation, suggesting strong genetic conservation within the species.
双脐螺属和膀胱螺属（腹足纲）作为影响人类和动物的传染因子的传播媒介和宿主。本研究为中国南方广东省双脐螺属和膀胱螺属蜗牛的流行病学、形态学、系统发育和单倍型多样性提供了最新见解。
2016年至2023年在广东省各地进行了实地调查。形态学观察包括对蜗牛形状、壳高和开口宽度的评估。分子分析针对多个基因，包括细胞色素c氧化酶亚基1（COI）、内转录间隔区（ITS）、18S rRNA、16S rRNA和28S rRNA。采用邻接法和最大似然法构建进化树。从多个地理位置收集的COI序列生成单倍型网络。
在92%的调查地点检测到尖膀胱螺，显示出广泛分布和显著的线粒体多样性（15个单倍型）。优势单倍型（Hap_3）与来自智利和荷兰的序列相同。相比之下，在62%的地点发现了淡黄双脐螺，尽管有明显的形态二态性（红色/黑色形态），但其遗传变异有限（2个单倍型）。系统发育分析显示，炮塔螺菌株之间的16S rRNA和COI基因序列差异极小，淡黄双脐螺与南美谱系紧密聚类。形态测量分析显示不同菌株之间存在显著的大小差异，例如，双龙淡黄双脐螺的壳宽为8.74±0.26毫米，而增城尖膀胱螺的壳宽为11.07±0.90毫米。相比之下，28S和18S rRNA的分析证实了物种界限，但在种内水平上缺乏区分。
我们对多个靶基因的分析证实，线粒体标记（COI和16S rRNA）对于研究淡水入侵蜗牛的进化动态是有效的。尖膀胱螺在广东省分布广泛且遗传多样性显著，而淡黄双脐螺的遗传变异有限，表明该物种内具有较强的遗传保守性。
