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Molecular characterization of Fasciola jacksoni from wild elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) of Sri Lanka: a taxonomic evaluation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2019

R. P. V. J. Rajapakse ,
S. P. Lawton Open the ORCID record for S. P. Lawton [Opens in a new window] ,
K. J. K. Karunathilake ,
B. V. P. Perera ,
N. T. B. Nguyen  and
T. H. Le
R. P. V. J. Rajapakse
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
S. P. Lawton*
Affiliation:
Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University London, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, KT12 EE, 32, UK
K. J. K. Karunathilake
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
B. V. P. Perera
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife Conservation, Elephant Trust Home, Udawalave 70190, Sri Lanka
N. T. B. Nguyen
Affiliation:
Institute of Biotechnology (IBT), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), 18. Hoang Quoc Viet Rd., Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
T. H. Le
Affiliation:
Institute of Biotechnology (IBT), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), 18. Hoang Quoc Viet Rd., Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam Graduate University of Science and Technology (GUST), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), 18. Hoang Quoc Viet Rd., Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
*
Author for correspondence: S. P. Lawton, E-mail: s.p.lawton@kingston.ac.uk
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Abstract

Fasciola jacksoni is a significant contributor to the health and mortality of Asian elephants, particularly those in Sri Lanka. Despite the impact of fascioliasis on elephant populations, it is a neglected veterinary disease with limited taxonomic understanding. Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of F. jacksoni were carried out to evaluate its suggested basal position in the Fasciolidae. Adult worms were collected during post-mortem of elephants, and eggs were collected from living elephants in National parks across Sri Lanka. Using the mitochondrial genes nicotinamide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), and a partial 28S ribosomal DNA (28S rDNA), DNA sequences were generated from the F. jacksoni adult and egg material. Maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analyses did not resolve F. jacksoni to be basal to the Fasciolidae. Furthermore, the ML analyses showed that the genus Fasciola was not monophyletic and that F. jacksoni was a sister species to the deer liver fluke Fascioloides magna. A clear framework is required to determine the taxonomic status of F. jacksoni and this current study provides the first detailed application of molecular techniques from multiple hosts across Sri Lanka with the production of reference DNA sequences for this important parasite.

Keywords

Asian elephantsFasciola jacksonifasciolidaemitochondrial genesphylogenetic analysisrDNA sequencesSri Lanka
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 146 , Issue 10 , September 2019 , pp. 1247 - 1255
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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