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Genetic characteristics and phylogenetic relationship of Parascaris spp. from Equus zebra, E. caballus, and E. asinus.
Abstract: The equine Parascaris spp. is large, parasitic nematodes, and predominantly focuses on the intestine of foals and young weanlings. There are two roundworms, Parascaris equorum and Parascaris univalens, recognized among equine hosts. In this study, all fifty-nine Parascaris worms were harvested from three different equine hosts (twenty specimens from Equus zebra, twenty specimens from E. caballus, and nineteen specimens from E. asinus). The ribosomal gene (ITS) and mitochondrial genes (cox1 and nadh1) were amplified to identify and genetically characterize these worms. Analysis of ITS sequences revealed five genotypes among the fifty-nine worms, and the sequence similarity among the worms from E. zebra and E. caballus was at a high level (99.87%), while the one of E. asinus worms showed an apparent difference from the worms either from the E. zebra or from the E. caballus (sequence similarity ranging from 93.04 to 93.42%). Analysis of mitochondrial genes revealed that twenty-one (cox1 gene) and thirteen (nadh1 gene) unique haplotypes were defined among the fifty-nine worms. The shared haplotypes (four cox1 haplotypes and one nadh1 haplotype) only occurred between the worm populations from E. zebra and E. caballus. The cox1 and nadh1 haplotype sequences were respectively applied to construct phylogenetic trees. Although the topologies showed that E. asinus worm population had an obvious boundary with the worm populations of the E. zebra and the E. caballus, however, no noticeable boundary was found within the two later worm populations. Meanwhile, the E. asinus worm population showed an obvious genetic differentiation and an extremely low gene flow (close to zero) with the worm populations from E. zebra and E. caballus, indicating that the genetic characteristics of the worms from the E. asinus have an obvious difference with the one from E. zebra and E. caballus.
Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Publication Date: 2019-06-20 PubMed ID: 31303209DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2019.06.013Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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This research explores the genetic characteristics and the evolutionary relationship of certain worm species (Parascaris spp.) found in three types of equine hosts. Genetic analysis reveals a high level of similarity between worms in two types of hosts, while worms in the third host type display significant differences.
Genetic Characteristics Studied in Worms
- The study focuses on two roundworm species, Parascaris equorum and Parascaris univalens, that predominantly infest the intestines of foals and young weanlings.
- A total of 59 Parascaris worms were collected from three different equine hosts: 20 from Equus zebra, 20 from E. caballus, and 19 from E. asinus.
- The ribosomal gene (ITS) and mitochondrial genes (cox1 and nadh1) were amplified for the purpose of identifying and genetically characterizing the worms.
Identification of Unique Genotypes and Haplotypes
- Analysis of the ITS sequences revealed five different genotypes among the 59 worms, with a high level of sequence similarity (99.87%) between the worms from E. zebra and E. caballus.
- Conversely, the ITS sequences in worms from E. asinus significantly differed from those in worms from the other two hosts, with sequence similarities ranging from 93.04 to 93.42%.
- Further analysis of the mitochondrial genes identified 21 unique cox1 gene haplotypes and 13 unique nadh1 gene haplotypes among the worm populations.
Phylogenetic Relationship and Genetic Differentiation
- The cox1 and nadh1 haplotype sequences were used to construct separate phylogenetic trees for each worm population, which allowed the researchers to explore the evolutionary relationships between them.
- While the topology of the trees showed a clear separation between the worm population from E. asinus and the worm populations from E. zebra and E. caballus, no distinct boundary was observed within the worm populations from the latter two hosts.
- Moreover, the E. asinus worm population demonstrated significant genetic differentiation from the worm populations of the other two hosts and exceedingly low gene flow, almost reaching zero. This indicates that the genetic characteristics of the worms from the E. asinus hosts are distinctly different from those in E. zebra and E. caballus hosts.
Cite This Article
APA
Peng Z, Shen D, Zhang D, Li X, Wang L, Zhai Q, Hou Z, Li H.
(2019).
Genetic characteristics and phylogenetic relationship of Parascaris spp. from Equus zebra, E. caballus, and E. asinus.
Vet Parasitol, 271, 76-79.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2019.06.013 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
- College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
- College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
- Harbin Northern Forest Zoo, Harbin, China.
- College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
- College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
- College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China; Key Laboratory of Wildlife Conservation, China State Forestry Administration, Harbin, China. Electronic address: houzhijundz@163.com.
- College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China. Electronic address: lihepinghrb2002@yahoo.com.cn.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Ascaridoidea / classification
- Ascaridoidea / genetics
- DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / genetics
- Equidae / parasitology
- Genes, Mitochondrial / genetics
- Horses / parasitology
- Phylogeny
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Zhou M, Lu Y, Han L, Lu M, Guan C, Yu J, Liu H, Chen D, Li H, Yang Y, Zhang L, Tian L, Liu Q, Hou Z. Exploration of Parascaris species in three different Equus populations in China. Parasit Vectors 2023 Jun 15;16(1):202.
- Cain JL, Nielsen MK. The equine ascarids: resuscitating historic model organisms for modern purposes. Parasitol Res 2022 Oct;121(10):2775-2791.
- Abbas G, Nielsen MK, E-Hage C, Ghafar A, Beveridge I, Bauquier J, Beasley A, Wilkes EJA, Carrigan P, Cudmore L, Jacobson C, Hughes KJ, Jabbar A. Recent advances in intestinal helminth parasites of horses in the Asia-Pacific region: Current trends, challenges and future directions. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2025 Dec;29:100622.
- Buono F, Veneziano V, Veronesi F, Molento MB. Horse and donkey parasitology: differences and analogies for a correct diagnostic and management of major helminth infections. Parasitology 2023 Oct;150(12):1119-1138.
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