First Molecular Identification of Bulinus africanus in Lake Malawi Implicated in Transmitting Schistosoma Parasites

Alharbi, Mohammad, Iravoga, Cynthia, Kayuni, Sekeleghe, Cunningham, Lucas, LaCourse, James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9261-7136, Makaula, Peter and Stothard, Russell ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9370-3420 (2022) 'First Molecular Identification of Bulinus africanus in Lake Malawi Implicated in Transmitting Schistosoma Parasites'. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Vol 7, Issue 8, e195.

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Abstract

The freshwater snail genus Bulinus plays a vital role in transmitting parasites of the Schistosoma haematobium group. A hybrid schistosome between S. haematobium and S. mattheei has been recently detected using DNA-based identification methods in school children along the Lake Malawi shoreline in Mangochi District. This finding raised the need for contemporary revaluation of local interactions between schistosomes and snails, with a particular focus on snail species within the Bulinus africanus group. In 2017 and 2018, malacological surveys sampled several freshwater sites in Mangochi District. Collected snails (n = 250) were characterised using cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1), with DNA barcoding of the ‘Folmer’ region and a rapid PCR-RFLP typing assay with double digestion with HaeIII and SacI restriction enzymes. DNA cox1 sequence analysis, with phylogenetic tree construction, suggested the presence of at least three B. africanus group taxa in Lake Malawi, B. globosus, alongside first reports of B. africanus and B. angolensis, which can be differentiated by PCR-RFLP methods. In addition, a total of 30 of the 106 B. africanus group snails (28.30%) were positive to the Schistosoma-specific screen using real-time PCR methods. This study provides new insight into the recent changes in the epidemiology of urogenital schistosomiasis as likely driven by a new diversity of B. africanus group snails within the Lake.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	QX Parasitology > QX 20 Research (General) QX Parasitology > Helminths. Annelida > QX 355 Schistosoma WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 695 Parasitic diseases (General) WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 810 Schistosomiasis
Faculty: Department:	Biological Sciences > Department of Tropical Disease Biology Education
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7080195
SWORD Depositor:	JISC Pubrouter
Depositing User:	JISC Pubrouter
Date Deposited:	13 Dec 2022 12:20
Last Modified:	14 Jun 2023 10:05
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/21012

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