Phylogenetic study of Setaria cervi based on mitochondrial cox1 gene sequences

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to examine the phylogenetic position of Setaria cervi based on sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. A fragment of the cox1 gene from two morphologically identified S. cervi collected from red deer (Cervus elaphus) from Italy were amplified, sequenced, and compared with corresponding sequences of other filarioid nematode species. Phylogenetic studies using Bayesian analysis revealed S. cervi as monophyletic with other Setaria species, confirming S. cervi as a member of the Setaria genus. S. cervi appeared to be sister species to Setaria labiatopapillosa and Setaria digitata. Setaria tundra and Setaria equina, the other two Setaria species presented in the Italian fauna, formed a sister group to the clade consisting of S. cervi, S. labiatopapillosa, and S. digitata. In addition to phylogenetic clarification, our study is the first molecular identification of S. cervi, which may be useful for further molecular identification and differentiation of this filarial worm from other filarioid nematode species, especially in the earlier developmental stages of its life cycle.

Detection and molecular characterization of the mosquito-borne filarial nematode Setaria tundra in Danish roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus )

“…Despite the low bootstrap values, the general topology of the Setaria spp. resembles a previously published tree by Alasaad et al. (2012) .…”

First report of Setaria tundra in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from the Iberian Peninsula inferred from molecular data: epidemiological implications

“…The phylogenetic relationships of filarioid parasites have been assessed on morphological characters [ 6 , 7 ]. Nevertheless, molecular analyses are needed to confirm their morphological descriptions or taxonomic position and classification, and to improve our understanding of the species epidemiology [ 5 , 8 ].…”

The first description of Setaria tundra (Issaitshikoff & Rajewskaya, 1928) in roe deer from Croatia

“…Later on, over history, many controversies about these two and other species have arisen, where authors described old species as new ones (reviewed in Nikander et al, 2007). On the molecular level, the difference between these two species is more pronounced and was shown in the phylogenetic study of Setaria cervi in Italy, which revealed that S. labiatopapillosa belong to one clade together with S. cervi and S. digitata , which is well separated from the one containing S. tundra and S. equina (Alasaad et al, 2012). In Croatia, from the first finding and over the past decades, the only previous detailed description available is from S. labiatopapillosa in cattle (Mikačić, 1941), where the author, besides the presence of lateral lips, clearly describes the thorn structures on the tail knob which were at that time also attributed as a characteristic of S. tundra .…”