Molecular Identification of Homalogaster paloniae Poirier, 1882 (Trematoda: Gastrodiscidae) in Swamp Buffaloes Bubalus bubalis (Linnaeus, 1758) from Meghalaya, India
Jayanta Kumar Chamuah
ICAR-National Research Centre on Mithun, Medziphema, Nagaland– 797106, India.
Debojyoti Borkotoky *
KVK North 24 Parganas (Addl.), ICAR-CRIJAF, Barrackpore-700121, India.
P.R Dutta
ICAR Research Complex for NEHR, Barapani, Meghalaya, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Homalogaster paloniae (Gastrodiscidae, Trematoda) can lead to considerable economic losses to the breeding industry of livestock. The objective of the present study was to determine the phylogenetic position of Homalogaster paloniae based on ribosomal DNA sequences of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2). ITS2 sequence analysis was carried out to perceive the occurrence of intra-specific variations within the species. The adult flukes collected from rectum of buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis Linnaeus, 1758) were identified as H. paloniae based on morphological criteria. ITS-2 was used as a genetic marker for identification and genotypic analysis of the parasite. PCR targeting conserved regions of ITS-2 yielded a 516bp fragment which on sequencing showed 100% similarity with that of H. paloniae. Phylogenetic studies by neighbour joining method revealed close relationship with Gigantocotyle explanatum, Paramphistomum epiclitum and Calicophoron calicophorum.
Keywords: Homalogaster paloniae, genetic marker, genotypic analysis, ITS2, PCR, phylogenetic studies