The neuro-muscular system in fresh-water furcocercaria from Belarus. I Schistosomatidae.

The neuro-muscular system (NMS) in cercariae of the family Schistosomatidae from Belarus was studied with immunocytochemical methods and confocal scanning laser microscopy. The specimens of Bilharziella polonica were compared with Trichobilharzia szidati and Trichobilharzia franki. The patterns of F-actin in the musculature, 5-HT-immunoreactive (IR), FMRFamide-IR neuronal elements and α-tubulin-IR in sensory receptors and nerves were investigated. No indications of structural differences in the musculature, the 5-HT-IR, FMRF-IR neuronal elements and the general distribution of sensory receptors were noticed between cercariae of Trichobilharzia spp. The number of 5-HT-IR neurons in the cercarial bodies is 16. In cercaria B. polonica, the tail musculature is weaker than in Trichobilharzia spp. A detailed schematic picture of the NMS in the tail of Trichobilharzia spp. cercaria is given. The function of NMS elements in the tail is discussed.

Morphological and molecular differentiation of Diplostomum spp. metacercariae from brain of minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus L.) in four populations of northern Europe and East Asia.

Metacercariae of trematodes from the genus Diplostomum are major helminth pathogens of freshwater fish, infecting the eye or the brain. The taxonomy of the genus Diplostomum is complicated, and has recently been based mainly on the molecular markers. In this study, we report the results of the morphological and molecular genetic analysis of diplostomid metacercaria from the brain of the minnow Phoxinus phoxinus from three populations in Fennoscandia (Northern Europe) and one population in Mongolia (East Asia). We obtained the data on the polymorphism of the partial mitochondrial cox1 gene and ribosomal ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region of these parasites. РСА-based morphological analysis revealed that the parasites in the Asian and the European groups of Diplostomum sp. were distinctly different. Metacercariae from the brain of Mongolian minnows were much larger than those from the brain of Fennoscandian minnows but had much fewer excretory granules. Considering that the two study regions were separated by a distance of about 4500 km, we also tested the genetic homogeneity of their host, the minnow, using the mitochondrial cytb gene. It was shown that Diplostomum-infected minnows from Mongolia and Fennoscandia represented two previously unknown separate phylogenetic lineages of the genus Phoxinus. Both molecular and morphological analysis demonstrated that the parasites from Fennoscandia belonged the species Diplostomum phoxini, while the parasites from Mongolia belonged to a separate species, Diplostomum sp. MТ.Each of the two studied Diplostomum spp. was associated with a specific, and previously unknown, genealogical lineage of its second intermediate host, P. phoxinus.

Genetic differentiation in eastern European and western Asian populations of the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica, as revealed by mitochondrial nad1 and cox1 genes.

Partial sequences of mitochondrial genes nad1 (316 bp) and cox1 (429 bp) were analyzed to estimate the variability of the liver fluke samples collected in 20 localities in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and China. The sequences had 4.1% (nad1) and 2.3% (cox1) of variable sites, and 13 and 10 haplotypes were identified among nad1 and cox1 genes, respectively. Spatial analysis of genetic and nucleotide diversity indicated little or no structuring of genetic variation between hosts or regions. The analysis of distribution of both separate and combined (nad1 + cox1) haplotypes revealed the existence of 2 well-defined lineages with 2 main haplotypes and a number of shared divergent haplotypes. Our study showed that the first lineage included the main N1-C1 haplotype, which was found in Australia, China, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and in all European populations (from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Bulgaria). The second lineage was found in all European populations and in populations from Armenia and Azerbaijan. It was suggested that one of the lineages (I) has an Asian origin. The possible source of mtDNA variability and associations between lineage divergence of parasite and its definitive hosts (cattle and sheep) are discussed.