DNA barcode identification of freshwater snails in the family Bithyniidae from Thailand.
Freshwater snails in the family Bithyniidae are the first intermediate host for Southeast Asian liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini), the causative agent of opisthorchiasis. Unfortunately, the subtle morphological characters that differentiate species in this group are not easily discerned by non-sp...
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2014
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/754 |
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Institution: | Mahidol University |
Language: | English |
Summary: | Freshwater snails in the family Bithyniidae are the first intermediate host for
Southeast Asian liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini), the causative agent of
opisthorchiasis. Unfortunately, the subtle morphological characters that
differentiate species in this group are not easily discerned by non-specialists.
This is a serious matter because the identification of bithyniid species is a
fundamental prerequisite for better understanding of the epidemiology of this
disease. Because DNA barcoding, the analysis of sequence diversity in the 5'
region of the mitochondrial COI gene, has shown strong performance in other
taxonomic groups, we decided to test its capacity to resolve 10 species/
subspecies of bithyniids from Thailand. Our analysis of 217 specimens indicated
that COI sequences delivered species-level identification for 9 of 10 currently
recognized species. The mean intraspecific divergence of COI was 2.3% (range
0-9.2 %), whereas sequence divergences between congeneric species averaged 8.7%
(range 0-22.2 %). Although our results indicate that DNA barcoding can
differentiate species of these medically-important snails, we also detected
evidence for the presence of one overlooked species and one possible case of
synonymy. |
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