Cryptic intermediate snail host of the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica in Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Snails such as Galba truncatula are hosts for trematode flukes causing fascioliasis, a zoonosis that is a major public health problem. Galba truncatula has recently been shown to be a cryptic species complex. African populations of Galba spp. are not yet studied using molecular assessments and is imperative to do so and reconstruct the centre of origin of Galba and to understand when and by what means it may have colonized the highlands of Africa and to what extent humans might have been involved in that process.

Methods

Samples from all known sub-ranges throughout Africa and new samples from Europe and Asia were obtained. We used a combination of two mitochondrial (cox1 and 16S) and one nuclear (ITS2) markers and phylogenetic, divergence time estimates and phylog

SUBMITTER: Mahulu A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6894237 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature