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ski Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; Department of Wildlife Conservation, National Wildlife Training Center, Giritale, Sri Lanka; Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois
Fasciolid flukes are among the largest and best known digenetic trematodes and have considerable historical and veterinary significance. Fasciola hepatica is commonly implicated in causing disease in humans. The origins, patterns of diversification, and biogeography of fasciolids are all poorly known. We have undertaken a molecular phylogenetic study using 28S, internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 (ITS-1 and ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA, and mitochondrial nicotinamide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) that included seven of the nine recognized species in the family. The fasciolids examined comprise a monophyletic group with the most basal species recovered from African elephants. We hypothesize fasciolids migrated from Africa to Eurasia, with secondary colonization of Africa. Fasciolids have been conservative in maintaining relatively large adult body size, but anatomical features of their digestive and reproductive systems are available. These flukes have been opportunistic, with respect to switching to new snail (planorbid to lymnaeid) and mammalian hosts and from intestinal to hepatic habitats within mammals.
Received January 28, 2008. Accepted for publication April 13, 2008.
Acknowledgments: We thank Dr. Sharon L. Deem (Field Veterinary Program, Wildlife Conservation Society), Dr. Stephen Blake (Africa Program, Wildlife Conservation Society), John M. Kinsella (Helm West Laboratory), and the Wildlife Conservation Society (USA) for samples of Protofasciola robusta and Gerald Mkoji (Kenya Medical Research Institute) for Kenyan samples of Fasciola gigantica.
Financial support: Technical support is acknowledged from the University of New Mexico’s Molecular Biology Facility, which is supported by NIH Grant 1P20RR18754 from the IDeA program of the National Center for Research Resources. This work was supported by funds provided by the college of Arts and Sciences at UNM and NIH Grant RO1 AI44913 (ESL), a grant from the Center for Special Studies and Programs, Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Egypt), Grant 050138 (WML), and partially by the US-Egypt Joint Science and Technology Fund, Grant BIO9-005-002 (WML and ESL) and the National Research Council of Sri Lanka Grant 05-23 (RPVJR).
* Address correspondence to Sara V. Brant, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, 1 University of New Mexico, MSC03 2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001. E-mail: sbrant{at}unm.edu
Author’s addresses: Wael M. Lotfy, Parasitology Department, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, 165 El-Horreya Avenue, Alexandria, Egypt. Sara V. Brant and Eric S. Loker, University of New Mexico Biology Department, MSC03 2020, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-0001. Randy J. De-Jong, Biology Department, Calvin College, 1726 Knollcrest Circle, SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4403. Thanh Hoa Le, Immunology Department, Institute of Biotechnology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam. Aleksander Demiaszkiewicz, Witold Stefan
ski Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw, Poland. Jayanthe Rajapakse, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Vijitha B. V. P. Perera, Department of Wildlife Conservation, National Wildlife Training Center, Elehara Road, Giritale, Sri Lanka. Jeff R. Laursen, Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, 600 Lincoln Avenue, Charleston, IL 61920-3099.
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