Apparent dominance of the G1-G3 genetic cluster of echinococcus granulosus strains in the central inland region of Portugal

• Autor(a) principal: Beato, Sílvia
• Data de Publicação: 2010
• Outros Autores: Parreira, R., Calado, M. M., Grácio, M. A. A.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/1592
• topic: Echinococcus granulosus; Hydatic cyst; G1-G3 genotypes; Portugal; Mitochondrial DNA

Infection by the larval stage of the cestode Echinococcus granulosus causes a disease known as cystic echinococcosis or hydatidosis, which is one of the most widespread zoonotic infections of veterinary and medical importance. Numerous studies have shown that E. granulosus exists as a complex of strains differing in a wide variety of criteria. Ten distinct genotypes (G1-G10) have been identified with potential impact on the pathology, epidemiology and the effect of the measures implemented for the control of hydatidosis. Our main objective was to carry out a preliminary analysis of the genotypes of E. granulosus circulating in the central inland region of Portugal. Parasite samples (hydatid cysts, n=27) were isolated from the liver and lung of sheep and cattle. The DNA extracted from protoscoleces isolated from the fertile cysts served a template for the PCR amplification of part of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), ATP synthase F0 subunit 6 (atp6) as well as the large (rrnL/16S) and small (rrnS/12S) ribosomal RNA genes. Similarity searches with homologous sequences in the databanks indicated very high similarity with references assigned to the G1, G3 and/or G1-G3 complex of Echinococcus strains. Phylogenetic analysis (Bayesian approach) supported these observations, and confirmed the assignment of all the analyzed sequences to the G1-G3 genetic cluster.