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Jones S, Juhász A, Makaula P, Cunningham LJ, Archer J, Nkolokosa C, Namacha G, Kambewa E, Lally D, Kapira DR, Chammudzi P, Kayuni SA, Musaya J, Stothard JR. A first report of Pseudosuccinea columella (Say, 1817), an alien intermediate host for liver fluke, in Malawi. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:186. [PMID: 38605395 PMCID: PMC11007905 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06241-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Starting in October 2021, quarterly malacological surveys have been undertaken in Malawi, with the sampling of 12 specified freshwater habitats throughout a calendar year. Each survey monitors the presence of aquatic intermediate snail hosts of medical and veterinary importance. In March 2023, the alien lymnaeid species Pseudosuccinea columella was encountered for the first time in the surveys, in Nsanje District. This species identity was later confirmed upon DNA analysis of mitochondrial ribosomal 16S sequences. In July 2023, P. columella was also noted at single sites within Mangochi and Chikwawa Districts, and again in Nsanje District, with an additional location observed. Of particular importance, our sampled location in Mangochi District was directly connected to Lake Malawi, which expands the species list of invasive molluscs in this lake. While P. columella is a well-known intermediate snail host for human and animal fascioliasis, screening collected snails for trematode cercariae, alongside molecular xenomonitoring, did not yield equivocal evidence of active fluke infection. However, the newly recognized presence of this alien intermediate snail host within Lake Malawi, and along the Shire River Valley, flags a new concern in altered local transmission potential for human and animal fascioliasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Jones
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK.
| | - A Juhász
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
- Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - P Makaula
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome (MLW) Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - L J Cunningham
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
| | - J Archer
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
| | - C Nkolokosa
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome (MLW) Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - G Namacha
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome (MLW) Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - E Kambewa
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome (MLW) Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - D Lally
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome (MLW) Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - D R Kapira
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome (MLW) Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - P Chammudzi
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome (MLW) Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - S A Kayuni
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome (MLW) Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - J Musaya
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome (MLW) Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - J Russell Stothard
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
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Nyagura I, Malatji MP, Mukaratirwa S. Occurrence of Fasciola (Digenea: Fasciolidae) Species in Livestock, Wildlife and Humans, and the Geographical Distribution of Their Intermediate Hosts in South Africa—A Scoping Review. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:935428. [PMID: 35937292 PMCID: PMC9347419 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.935428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
This review was conducted to provide an update on the status of the occurrence of Fasciola species in livestock, wildlife and humans, and the geographical distribution of snail intermediate host (IH) species in South Africa. The literature search was conducted on four electronic databases using the Boolean operators in combination with predetermined search terms for thematic analysis. Results showed that Fasciola species have been reported in six out of nine provinces of South Africa in the last six decades (1960–2021), with both F. hepatica and F. gigantica infecting vertebrate hosts and F. hepatica and Fasciola spp infecting humans. Results also showed that most studies relied on morphological identification of eggs and flukes without molecular confirmation, which might have led to the misidentification of specimens, especially when immature. Fasciola hepatica has been documented in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. The occurrences of Galba truncatula as the probable snail IH for F. hepatica in the three provinces has been documented while Pseudosuccinea columella has only been documented in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. The occurrence of F. gigantica to date has been reported in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, with overlapping distribution with F. hepatica. Radix natalensis, the main IH of F. gigantica has been documented in all the three provinces, while the two alien Radix species (R. auricularia and R. rubiginosa) were documented in KwaZulu-Natal province and have been implicated elsewhere with the transmission of F. gigantica. The presence of Fasciola spp eggs and antibodies in humans were documented in the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape provinces, where both P. columella and G. truncatula are known to be present. The prevalence of Fasciola spp infection in livestock ranged from 9.1 to 37.67 %, with an estimated annual financial loss ranging from R44930.26-129901 in cattle production in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. This review reaffirms the scarcity of information on the occurrence and burden of fasciolosis in South Africa, and further highlights the importance of future research covering all provinces of the country and assessing the public health significance of the disease in resource-poor livestock communities in the areas where the parasite is endemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignore Nyagura
- School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Mokgadi Pulane Malatji
- School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- Foundational Research and Services, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Samson Mukaratirwa
- School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- One Health Centre for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
- *Correspondence: Samson Mukaratirwa
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Malatji MP, Myende N, Mukaratirwa S. Are Freshwater Snails, Melanoides sp. and Invasive Tarebia granifera (Gastropoda: Thiaridae) Suitable Intermediate Hosts for Calicophoron microbothrium (Trematoda: Paramphistomoidea)? An Experimental Study. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:705954. [PMID: 34368286 PMCID: PMC8336920 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.705954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prosobranch snails and adult Paramphistomoidea flukes were collected from water bodies and cattle abattoir located in Mpumalanga province of South Africa, respectively. The snails were identified based on morphological characters as well as the ITS-2 and 16S markers as Melanoides sp. and Tarebia granifera, respectively, and the Paramphistomoidea flukes were identified as Calicophoron microbothrium using the ITS-1/5.8S/ITS-2 marker. After confirming identification, the snails were bred to first filial generation (F1) under laboratory conditions. Ninety snails were randomly selected from the laboratory-bred F1 snails and 25 Melanoides sp. and 20 T. granifera were exposed to C. microbothrium miracidia, and the same numbers were maintained as non-exposed controls. Results showed that C. microbothrium successfully established in Melanoides sp. and produced cercariae, and the prepatent period recorded was 21 days. Three snails shed cercariae at day 21 postexposure (PE), and rediae and free cercariae were detected in the soft tissues of one snail on dissection at day 44 PE. The same fluke did not establish in T. granifera. Melanoides sp. started producing offspring at day 7 PE, and T. granifera at day 14 PE. In conclusion, our results showed that Melanoides sp. used in this study is a suitable intermediate host for C. microbothrium under experimental conditions, and given the wide distribution of this snail species, it is important to determine its role in the natural transmission of other Calicophoron species that have been reported in South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mokgadi P Malatji
- School of Life Science, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa.,Department of Research and Scientific Services, National Zoological Garden, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Nkululeko Myende
- School of Life Science, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa
| | - Samson Mukaratirwa
- School of Life Science, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa.,Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
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Haridwal S, Malatji MP, Mukaratirwa S. Morphological and molecular characterization of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica phenotypes from co-endemic localities in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa. Food Waterborne Parasitol 2021; 22:e00114. [PMID: 33681492 PMCID: PMC7930125 DOI: 10.1016/j.fawpar.2021.e00114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Fasciolosis is a food- and water-borne disease caused by digenean trematode species, Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. They are widely distributed and infect a wide range of definitive hosts, causing enormous economic loss due to reduced productivity in domestic ruminants. The two species have been previously reported to be co-endemic in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa. Hybridization between the two species has been reported elsewhere. Despite the overlap of the two species in two provinces, there has been no attempt to determine the presence of the intermediate forms or hybrids. Therefore, this study aimed at morphological and molecular characterization of Fasciola spp. collected from cattle slaughtered at abattoirs located in the two provinces of South Africa, where two species are endemic. A total of 71 fluke specimens were collected cattle from abattoirs in Enhlazeni and Nelspruit in Mpumalanga province and Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, and Zimbabwe (Bulawayo abattoir). Fasciola gigantica specimen collected from Zimbabwe where it has been confirmed as the only species occurring and this was used as control in the morphological and molecular assessment of the collected specimens. Of the 71 specimens collected, 37 were classified as F. hepatica, 12 as F. gigantica and 22 as Fasciola spp using morphological characters. Of these species, 11 of 37 F. hepatica and 6 of 22 Fasciola sp were found to be aspermic or having very scanty sperm. Fifteen flukes which were spermatic were all identified morphologically as F. gigantica whilst 5 flukes which were aspermic were identified morphologically as F. hepatica. Molecular analysis of the same 15 spermatic specimens confirmed the presence of F. hepatica (n = 9) and F. gigantica (n = 6) using the CO1 marker and as F. hepatica (n = 4), F. gigantica (n = 7) and Fasciola sp. (n = 1) for the same specimens using the ITS-1/5.8S/ITS-2 marker. The remaining 4 aspermic flukes (one did not resolve) were all identified morphologically as F. hepatica and molecular analysis confirmed them as F. hepatica (n = 4) by both CO1 and ITS-1/5.8S/ITS-2. Phylogenetic analysis based on both CO1 and ITS-1/5.8S/ITS-2 showed that F. hepatica species formed a moderately supported monophyletic clade with F. gigantica. Their ancestral history was further confirmed by haplotype network, which formed novel haplotypes that corresponded with the structure of the phylogenetic tree. Results from this study showed that morphological characters alone have limitations in identifying F. hepatica and F. gigantica in areas where the two species occur, although both methods confirmed the presence of F. gigantica occurring in Zimbabwe, F. hepatica in KwaZulu-Natal, and both species occurring in Mpumalanga province. Therefore, the use of morphological techniques, complemented by molecular techniques are recommended, especially in endemic areas where the two species are co-endemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayurika Haridwal
- School of Life Science, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville campus, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Mokgadi P Malatji
- School of Life Science, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville campus, Durban 4001, South Africa.,Department of Research and Scientific Services, National Zoological Garden, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), 232 Boom Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Samson Mukaratirwa
- School of Life Science, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville campus, Durban 4001, South Africa.,One Health Centre for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis
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Fasciola species and their vertebrate and snail intermediate hosts in East and Southern Africa: a review. J Helminthol 2019; 94:e63. [PMID: 31331410 DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x19000531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
A systematic review was conducted focusing on the distribution of Fasciola species and their snail intermediate hosts (IHs) in East and Southern Africa. The reviewed literature showed that both Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica are present in East and Southern Africa, and infect a wide range of domestic and wild ruminants. Fasciola gigantica was reported in six East African and five Southern African countries, where Radix natalensis (found in low altitudes) was reported to be the main IH. Fasciola hepatica was reported in Tanzania and Ethiopia (East Africa), and in South Africa and Zimbabwe (Southern Africa), where Galba truncatula (found in high altitudes) was documented as the IH in all countries except in Zimbabwe. Both Fasciola species were documented in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. An overlap of the two was observed in areas with an intermediate altitude in Ethiopia and South Africa, where Pseudosuccinea columella was widespread and assumed to transmit both species. Pseudosuccinea columella has been reported in South Africa and Namibia, and proven to transmit F. gigantica in South Africa; its role in Namibia in the transmission of Fasciola species has not been reported. Other lymnaeid species such as R. rubiginosa were reported in South Africa, and R. auricularia in South Africa and Botswana; their role in the transmission of Fasciola species has not been proven. Future studies should aim to determine the role of P. columella in the geographical spread of the two species in East and Southern African countries.
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