Morphological and molecular characterization of Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Dicrocoelium chinensis in small ruminants from Inner Mongolia, China

IF 1.6 Q3 PARASITOLOGY

Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports Pub Date : 2026-10-01 Epub Date: 2026-10-08 DOI:10.1016/j.vprsr.2026.101608

Luyang Tang, Penglong Wang, Gaowa Gong, Liangliang Lv, Fengying Bao, Lei Qiao, Wenbin Yang, Guoyu Shao, Wei Ni, Xiaoping Luo, Lei Xiu, Yan Nie, Junyan Li, Wei Hu

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Abstract

Dicrocoeliosis is a parasitic liver disease of domestic and wild ruminants and can also affect humans, resulting in animal-production losses and potential public health concerns. This study aimed to identify Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Dicrocoelium chinensis in small ruminants from Inner Mongolia using integrated morphological and molecular approaches. Liver samples from 80 sheep and 280 goats were collected at slaughterhouses, and recovered flukes were subjected to morphometric examination and acetocarmine staining. Molecular identification based on ITS-2 and COX-1 sequences confirmed D. dendriticum in goats from Ordos and D. chinensis in sheep from Hinggan League. The prevalence was 5.0% for D. dendriticum in goats and 26.25% for D. chinensis in sheep. The testes were arranged in tandem in D. dendriticum and were opposed in D. chinensis. The sampled D. chinensis population had a greater maximum body width and larger oral and ventral suckers, whereas the distance from the anterior end to the point of maximum body width was greater in the sampled D. dendriticum population. ITS-2 and COX-1 sequences formed two well-supported species-specific clades. COX-1 analysis identified six haplotypes in D. chinensis, dominated by Hap_30 (67.4%), and 29 haplotypes in D. dendriticum, dominated by Hap_2 (23.2%).

ITS-2 was useful for discriminating D. dendriticum and D. chinensis but showed limited resolution for intraspecific variation, whereas COX-1 provided greater resolution for haplotype analysis. Because host species and geographic region were confounded in the sampling design, differences between the sampled populations should not be attributed solely to host or geography. These findings provide baseline data for molecular epidemiology, genetic diversity assessment, and surveillance of Dicrocoelium spp. in Inner Mongolia.

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内蒙古小型反刍动物树突双星和中国双星的形态和分子特征

双角硬皮病是家畜和野生反刍动物的一种寄生虫性肝病，也可影响人类，造成动物生产损失和潜在的公共卫生问题。本研究旨在利用形态学和分子生物学相结合的方法对内蒙古小反刍动物树突双星（Dicrocoelium dendriticum）和中国双星（Dicrocoelium chinensis）进行鉴定。在屠宰场采集80只绵羊和280只山羊的肝脏样本，对回收的吸虫进行形态计量学检查和乙酰胭脂红染色。基于ITS-2和COX-1序列的分子鉴定证实，鄂尔多斯山羊和兴安盟绵羊分别存在树突状支原体和中国支原体。山羊和绵羊的树突棘球蚴感染率分别为5.0%和26.25%。树突鼠的睾丸呈串联排列，而中国鼠的睾丸呈对生排列。中华仓鼠种群的最大体宽更大，口腔和腹部吸盘更大，而树突仓鼠种群的前端到最大体宽点的距离更大。ITS-2和COX-1序列形成了两个得到充分支持的物种特异性进化枝。COX-1分析鉴定出6个单倍型，以Hap_30为主（67.4%）；29个单倍型，以Hap_2为主（23.2%）。ITS-2可用于区分树突草和中华草，但对种内变异的分辨率有限，而COX-1对单倍型分析的分辨率更高。由于在抽样设计中混淆了宿主物种和地理区域，因此抽样种群之间的差异不应仅仅归因于宿主或地理。这些发现为内蒙古双星蝇的分子流行病学、遗传多样性评估和监测提供了基础资料。

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来源期刊

Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports Multiple-

CiteScore

2.90

自引率

7.10%

发文量

126

审稿时长

97 days

期刊介绍： Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports focuses on aspects of veterinary parasitology that are of regional concern, which is especially important in this era of climate change and the rapid and often unconstrained travel of people and animals. Relative to regions, this journal will accept papers of the highest quality dealing with all aspects of disease prevention, pathology, treatment, epidemiology, and control of parasites within the field of veterinary medicine. Also, case reports will be considered as they add to information related to local disease and its control; such papers must be concise and represent appropriate medical intervention. Papers on veterinary parasitology from wildlife species are acceptable, but only if they relate to the practice of veterinary medicine. Studies on vector-borne bacterial and viral agents are suitable, but only if the paper deals with vector transmission of these organisms to domesticated animals. Studies dealing with parasite control by means of natural products, both in vivo and in vitro, are more suited for one of the many journals that now specialize in papers of this type. However, due to the regional nature of much of this research, submissions may be considered based upon a case being made by the author(s) to the Editor. Circumstances relating to animal experimentation must meet the International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals as issued by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (obtainable from: Executive Secretary C.I.O.M.S., c/o W.H.O., Via Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland).