Short communication
Molecular characterization of Fasciola flukes obtained from wild sika deer and domestic cattle in Hokkaido, Japan

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2017.04.005Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Fasciola flukes detected in Hokkaido, Japan, were analyzed with DNA markers.

  • Nuclear pepck and mitochondrial nad1 genes were used for the analysis.

  • Fasciola flukes from cattle and sika deer showed almost identical characteristics.

  • These findings suggest the occurrence of mutual transmission.

Abstract

The number of wild sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) continues to increase in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The major concern for the livestock industry is the transmission of pathogens between sika deer and cattle. Fasciolosis is an important disease that can occur in both animals. The aim of this study was to examine the possible mutual transmission of this disease in Hokkaido Prefecture. A total of 105 Fasciola flukes were obtained from sika deer and 96 from domestic cattle. The Fasciola flukes in Japan are reported to possess no mature sperm. However, in this study, 14 flukes from sika deer and eight flukes from cattle contained mature sperm in their seminal vesicles. All the Fasciola flukes from the two host animals had Fh/Fg type in nuclear phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (pepck) gene, with a mixed fragment pattern derived from F. hepatica and F. gigantica, which are considered to be hybrid Fasciola flukes. However, almost all the flukes had Fsp1 haplotype in NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) gene, indicating that their maternal lineage was F. hepatica. A new haplotype, Fsp3, was detected in one fluke obtained from cattle and differed in one nucleotide from Fsp1. Therefore, the Fasciola flukes detected in both host species had almost identical molecular characteristics. These findings suggest the mutual transmission of Fasciola flukes between sika deer and domestic cattle in Hokkaido.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partly supported by a grant from the Research on Food Safety of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan (H28-syokuhin-wakate-012).

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