Molecular Genetic Findings of Spirometra decipiens and S. ranarum in Korea

Abstract

The taxonomy of Spirometra species has been controversial despite the medical and veterinary importance. Currently, only a few Spirometra species are considered valid species in the genus Spirometra. In the present study, the distribution of Spirometra species obtained from animals in Korea were identified by molecular analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (cox1) gene. A total of 28 Spirometra species specimens were analyzed. These were all collected between 1973 and 2008 in the Republic of Korea. Mitochondrial cox1 sequences were examined for a total of 28 specimens comprising 14 S. decipiens and 14 S. ranarum. The difference in partial cox1 sequences (316 bp) between S. erinaceieuropaei (KJ599680) and S. ranarum (this study) was 9.3%, while that between S. decipiens (KJ599679) and S. ranarum (this study) was 2.2%. Genetic analyses identified 2 Spirometra species in animals such as cat, leopard cat, dog, duck and snake in Korea as S. decipiens and S. ranarum. S. decipiens and S. ranarum were present in Gyeongnam Province (P), Jeonnam P, Gangwon P, Chungbuk P, and Seoul. S. decipiens was found in tadpoles, snakes, ducks, cats, leopard cats and dogs, while S. ranarum was found in cats and dogs. The ratio of S. decipiens:S. ranarum calculated from the molecular data was 14:14 (or 1:1). These results indicate that S. decipiens and S. ranarum are sympatrically distributed in Korea.

Genetic diversity of two mitochondrial DNA genes inSpirometra erinaceieuropaei(Cestoda: Diphyllobothridae) from Poland

“…Diphyllobothriid tapeworms (see Kuchta, Scholz, Brabec, & Bray, ) of the genus Spirometra Faust, Campbell & Kellogg, 1929 (Diphyllobothridae) are present in all continents except Antarctica and several species have been described worldwide: Spirometra mansoni Cobbold, 1882; Spirometra decipiens Diesing, 1850; Spirometra mansonoides Mueller, 1935; Spirometra ranarum Gastaldi, 1854; Spirometra erinaceieuropaei Rudolphi, 1819; Spirometra theileri Baer, 1924; and Spirometra proliferum Iijima, 1905 (e.g., Berger, Skerratt, Zhu, Young, & Speare, ; Conboy, ; Dybing, Fleming, & Adams, ; Jeon, Huh, Sohn, Chai, & Eom, ; Kołodziej‐Sobocińska & Miniuk, ; Oda et al, ; Petrigh, Scioscia, Denegri, & Fugassa, ; Ugarte et al, ; Wang et al, ).…”

First Clinical Cases of Spirometrosis in Two Cats in Korea

“…Owing to advances in molecular techniques, recent studies have attempted to identify Spirometra spp. based on the mitochondrial genome, especially based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene [1][2][3][4]12,14]. However, morphological features that correspond to molecular data are required from the population of worms worldwide.…”

“…Spirometra (Cestoda: Diphyllobothridae) is a small-to-medium-sized tapeworm that is found globally [ 1 ]. Unlike other cestodes that infect cats, Spirometra has a distinctive life cycle requiring two intermediate hosts [ 1 , 2 ]. Crustaceans, such as cyclops, act as the first intermediate host.…”

Complete Sequence of the Mitochondrial Genome of Spirometra ranarum: Comparison with S. erinaceieuropaei and S. decipiens

“…The most recent reports include identification of S. ranarum from frogs ( Hoplobatrachus rugulosus ) in Myanmar and from lions ( Panthera leo ) in Tanzania by analysis of mitochondrial genes and morphological observation [7,8]. S. ranarum obtained from cats and dogs were identified by molecular and phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase ( cox1 ) gene in Korea [9].…”

“…In the present study, the complete mitochondrial genome of S. ranarum was sequenced and characterized, and comparison with that of S. erinaceieuropaei and S. decipiens showed that overall nucleotide sequence divergence of 12 protein-coding genes of S. ranarum and S. decipiens differed by 1.5%, with 100% sequence similarity in the cox2 and nad6 genes, while the DNA sequence divergence of cox1, nad1, and nad4 genes of S. ranarum and S. decipiens was 2.2%, 2.1% and 2.6%, respectively. These cox1, nad1, and nad4 genes have been used as genetic markers for taxonomic identification and phylogenetic reconstruction by many researchers [4,6–9,11–14,24,25]. The degree of sequence divergence of the cox1, cob, nad1, and nad4 genes of S. ranarum and S. decipiens was greater than 2%, which indicates that species are independent species.…”