Genetic variability in the three mitochondrial genes among Oesophagostomum asperum isolates from different regions in Shaanxi and Hunan Provinces, China

Comparison of the first time detected Oesophagostomum asperum with Oesophagostomum columbianum in sheep and goats in Bangladesh based on the trinity: Morphology, morphometry and genetic diversity

Oesophagostomum spp. (Family: Chabertiidae) is keeping a low profile in terms of severity in Bangladesh while maintaining economic loss through disguise within sheep and goats. The study was performed to identify prevalence, confirmation of species through morphology and morphometry followed by phylogeny using ITS2 and COX1 genes. In total 384 slaughterhouse-sourced small and large intestines were pooled from Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Sherpur and Tangail districts of Mymensingh division. Followed by isolation, O. columbianum and O. asperum were identified following their key morphological features. Notably, O. asperum was first time detected in Bangladesh. The overall prevalence of Oesophagostomum spp. was found 60.93%. The prevalence of O. columbianum (64.95%) was almost double than that of O. asperum (35.04%). Among several characters, only the distance between anus to tail tip showed a significant morphological disparity in female. The Neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenic trees based on ITS2 and COX1 genes confirmed the study species. The first time identified O. asperum along with morphometry and phylogeny will add value to the fact that nematodes are invisibly present with high prevalence in this country. This study will help to draw specific attention to command a practical control strategy for intervening in economic loss.

Sequence variation in two mitochondrial DNA regions and internal transcribed spacer among isolates of the nematode Oesophagostomum asperum originating from goats in Hunan Province, China

The present study examined sequence variability in two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) regions, namely cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1), and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) among Oesophagostomum asperum isolates from goats in Hunan Province, China. A portion of the cox1 (pcox1), nad1 (pnad1) genes and the ITS (ITS1+5.8S rDNA+ITS2) rDNA were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) separately from adult O. asperum individuals and the representative amplicons were subjected to sequencing from both directions. The lengths of pcox1, pnad1 and ITS rDNA were 366 bp, 681 bp and 785 bp, respectively. The A+T contents of gene sequences were 71.5–72% for pcox1, 73.7–74.2% for pnad1 and 58–58.8% for ITS rDNA. Intra-specific sequence variations within O. asperum were 0–1.6% for pcox1, 0–1.9% for pnad1 and 0–1.7% for ITS rDNA, while inter-specific sequence differences among members of the genus Oesophagostomum were significantly higher, being 11.1–12.5%, 13.3–17.7% and 8.5–18.6% for pcox1, pnad1 and ITS rDNA, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses using combined sequences of pcox1 and pnad1, with three different computational algorithms (Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony), revealed distinct groups with high statistical support. These findings demonstrated the existence of intra-specific variation in mtDNA and rDNA sequences among O. asperum isolates from goats in Hunan Province, China, and have implications for studying molecular epidemiology and population genetics of O. asperum.

Complete mitochondrial genome of cattle tick (Rhipicephalus microplus)

In this study, we report the basic characteristics of the cattle tick mitochondrial genome, including structural organization and base composition of the rRNAs, tRNAs and protein-coding genes. The total length of the mitogenome was 14,901 bp and its overall base composition was estimated to be 38.8% for A, 40.8% for T, 11.3 % for C, 9.1% for G, respectively, indicating an A-T(79.6 %)-rich feature in Rhipicephalus microplus mitogenome.