Molecular confirmation of <i>Spirometra mansoni</i> (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) in Javanese keelback water snake (<i>Fowlea melanzosta</i>) in Indonesia.

ABSTRACT: Tapeworms of the genus Spirometra are important zoonotic parasites, yet their taxonomy remains unsettled and molecular species-level data from Indonesia are scarce. We examined plerocercoid larvae isolated from Javanese keelback water snakes (Fowlea melanzosta) collected in East Java, Indonesia. Infection prevalence in F. melanzosta was high (84 %), with 143 spargana recovered from subcutaneous tissues, musculatures, and the body cavities of 25 snakes. Morphological and histological features were consistent with Spirometra. Molecular analysis was used for accurate species-level identification. Partial mitochondrial cox1 sequences from five isolates were generated and analyzed phylogenetically. All sequences clustered unambiguously within the S. mansoni cl

SUBMITTER: Edila R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12589948 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature