Hybridisation between the two major African schistosome species of humans

T Huyse; F Van den Broeck; B Hellemans; F A M Volckaert; K Polman

doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2013.04.001

Hybridisation between the two major African schistosome species of humans

Int J Parasitol. 2013 Jul;43(8):687-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2013.04.001. Epub 2013 Apr 30.

Authors

T Huyse¹, F Van den Broeck, B Hellemans, F A M Volckaert, K Polman

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Tropical Medicine, Unit of Medical Helminthology, Antwerpen, Belgium. [email protected]

PMID: 23643461
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2013.04.001

Abstract

It is generally accepted that Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium, causing intestinal and urinary schistosomiasis, respectively, are not able to hybridise, due to the high phylogenetic distance between them. Cloning of nuclear internal transcribed spacer rDNA and partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 fragments revealed two internal transcribed spacer rDNA genotypes within single eggs and miracidia, one identical to S. mansoni and the other identical to S. haematobium, suggesting hybrid ancestry. The cytochrome c oxidase 1 clones always belonged to only one of the parental species. This demonstrates that offspring of heterologous pairing between these two species is not (always) parthenogenetic.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Chimera*
Cloning, Molecular
DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / genetics
Electron Transport Complex IV / genetics
Schistosoma haematobium / genetics*
Schistosoma mansoni / genetics*
Sequence Analysis, DNA

Substances

DNA, Ribosomal Spacer
Electron Transport Complex IV