Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Anoplocephala magna Solidifying the Species

Morphological and genetic characterizations of Avitellina tapeworms from domestic ruminants in Senegal: An evidence of specificity among sheep and cattle host

Avitellina tapeworms are common intestinal parasites of ruminants with a worldwide distribution. In Senegal, only Avitellina centripunctata tapeworm has been reported to date, and genetic diversity was previously confirmed by enzymatic analysis. This study aims to clarify the diversity of Avitellina tapeworms isolated from sheep and cattle in Senegal. In total, 613 adult Avitellina tapeworms were collected from sheep and cattle. Morphological analysis by the light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy identified three Avitellina "morphospecies": A. centripunctata and Avitellina sp.2 were detected in sheep while Avitellina sp.3 was identified in cattle. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on the complete mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1) sequences revealed that 101 Avitellina tapeworms were divided into 54 haplotypes grouped into three clades, of which two were specific to sheep and one specific to cattle. Three morphospecies corresponded to each of three clades and the maximum pairwise divergence among the clades ranged from 9.7 to 18.5% in cox1. The present study demonstrates the unexpected diversity of Avitellina tapeworms in domestic ruminants, and emphasize the necessity of re-evaluation of the taxonomy of the genus.

Characterization of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Ostertagia trifurcata of Small Ruminants and its Phylogenetic Associations for the Trichostrongyloidea Superfamily

The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Ostertagia trifurcata, a parasitic nematode of small ruminants, has been sequenced and its phylogenetic relationship with selected members from the superfamily Trichostrongyloidea was investigated on the basis of deduced datasets of mt amino acid sequences. The entire mt genome of Ostertagia trifurcata is circular and 14,151 bp in length. It consists of a total of 36 genes comprising 12 genes coding for proteins (PCGs), 2 genes for ribosomal RNA (rRNA), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and 2 non-coding regions, since all genes are transcribed in the same direction. The phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated datasets of predicted amino acid sequences of the 12 protein coding genes supported monophylies of the Haemonchidae, Dictyocaulidae and Molineidae families, but rejected monophylies of the Trichostrongylidae family. The complete characterization and provision of the mtDNA sequence of Ostertagia trifurcata provides novel genetic markers for molecular epidemiological investigations, systematics, diagnostics and population genetics of Ostertagia trifurcata and its correspondents.

Moniezia benedeni and Moniezia expansa are distinct cestode species based on complete mitochondrial genomes

Moniezia spp. parasitize the intestines of ruminants, causing monieziasis. In this study, the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of M. benedeni and M. expansa have been determined, characterized and employed to test the hypothesis that M. benedeni and M. expansa are distinct species by phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated amino acid sequences derived from 12 protein-coding genes, inferred with Bayesian and Maximum-likelihood methods. The complete mt genomes of M. benedeni and M. expansa were 13,958bp and 13,934bp in size, respectively. Nucleotide sequence identity between the two mt genomes was 83.4%. Each of the two circular mt genomes encodes 36 genes including two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and 12 protein-coding genes, which are transcribed from the same direction. The gene orders of the two mt genomes are identical to those of Anoplocephala spp. (Anoplocephalidae), Hymenolepis spp. (Hymenolepididae) and Dipylidium caninum (Dipylidiidae), but distinct from the species of the Taeniidae family. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that M. benedeni and M. expansa are taxonomically valid species and have a sister relationship, regardless of the analytical method employed. Furthermore, comparing the cox1 gene sequences of Moniezia spp. from the NCBI deposited sequences and the ones obtained in the present study revealed that the nucleotide sequence differences were 12.5% for M. benedeni and 6.2% for M. expansa, respectively, suggesting the existence of cryptic species in these parasites. The complete mt genome sequences reported herein will be valuable in further studies of diagnoses, molecular ecology and population genetics of Moniezia spp. of socio-economic importance.

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of the cloacal tapeworm Cloacotaenia megalops (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae)

Background

The cloacal tapeworm Cloacotaenia megalops (Hymenolepididae) is one of the most common cestode parasites of domestic and wild ducks worldwide. However, limited information is available regarding its epidemiology, biology, genetics and systematics. This study provides characterisation of the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of C. megalops.

Methods

The complete mt genome of C. megalops was obtained by long PCR, sequenced and annotated.

Results

The length of the entire mt genome of C. megalops is 13,887 bp; it contains 12 protein-coding, 2 ribosomal RNA and 22 transfer RNA genes, but lacks an atp8 gene. The mt gene arrangement of C. megalops is identical to that observed in Anoplocephala magna and A. perfoliata (Anoplocephalidae), Dipylidium caninum (Dipylidiidae) and Hymenolepis diminuta (Hymenolepididae), but differs from that reported in taeniids owing to the position shift between the tRNA (L1) and tRNA (S2) genes. The phylogenetic position of C. megalops was inferred using Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods based on the concatenated amino acid data for 12 protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic trees showed that C. megalops is sister to Anoplocephala spp. (Anoplocephalidae) + Pseudanoplocephala crawfordi + Hymenolepis spp. (Hymenolepididae) indicating that the family Hymenolepididae is paraphyletic.

Conclusions

The complete mt genome of C. megalops is sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses provided an insight into the phylogenetic relationships among the families Anoplocephalidae, Hymenolepididae, Dipylidiidae and Taeniidae. This novel genomic information also provides the opportunity to develop useful genetic markers for studying the molecular epidemiology, biology, genetics and systematics of C. megalops.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1782-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the tapeworm Cladotaenia vulturi (Cestoda: Paruterinidae): gene arrangement and phylogenetic relationships with other cestodes

BACKGROUND

Tapeworms Cladotaenia spp. are among the most important wildlife pathogens in birds of prey. The genus Cladotaenia is placed in the family Paruterinidae based on morphological characteristics and hosts. However, limited molecular information is available for studying the phylogenetic position of this genus in relation to other cestodes.

METHODS

In this study, the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Cladotaenia vulturi was amplified using "Long-PCR" and then sequenced by primer walking. Sequence annotation and gene identification were performed by comparison with published flatworm mt genomes. The phylogenetic relationships of C. vulturi with other cestode species were established using the concatenated amino acid sequences of 12 protein-coding genes with Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood methods.

RESULTS

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Cladotaenia vulturi is 13,411 kb in size and contains 36 genes. The gene arrangement of C. vulturi is identical to those in Anoplocephala spp. (Anoplocephalidae), Hymenolepis spp. (Hymenolepididae) and Dipylidium caninum (Dipylidiidae), but different from that in taeniids owing to the order shift between the tRNA (L1) and tRNA (S2) genes. Phylogenetic analyses based on the amino acid sequences of the concatenated 12 protein-coding genes showed that the species in the Taeniidae form a group and C. vulturi is a sister taxon to the species of the family Taeniidae.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, the present study provides the first molecular data to support the early proposal from morphological evidence that the Taeniidae is a sister group to the family Paruterinidae. This novel mt genome sequence will be useful for further investigations into the population genetics, phylogenetics and systematics of the family Paruterinidae and inferring phylogenetic relationships among several lineages within the order Cyclophyllidea.