Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
Volume 38, Issue 14, Pages 1681-1691Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2008.05.015
Keywords
China; Clonal replication; Genotyping; Microsatellites; Multi-locus genotype; Oncomelania; Schistosoma japonicum; Somatic mutation
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Funding
- NIH-NIAID [P50 AI39461]
- China National High Tech Program [2007AA02Z153]
- Wellcome Trust (UK)
- National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES [P50AI039461] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
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We genotyped (using 16 or 17 microsatellite loci) numerous adult Schistosoma japonicum raised in rabbits exposed to pooled cercariae from small numbers of naturally infected snails from several localities in China. As expected, duplicate multi-locus genotypes (MLGs) were found among these worms. Additionally, many more MLGs, often near-identical, were found than snails used as sources of cercariae. Explanations for these results include (i) genotyping errors, (ii) development within each infected snail of multiple sibling miracidia and (iii) somatic mutation producing genetically varied cercariae from a single miracidium. To control for genotyping errors we re-analysed samples from many individual worms, including repeating the initial PCR. Explanations invoking the development of multiple sibling miracidia within a single snail are not likely to be correct because almost all duplicate MLGs fell within same-sex clusters in a principal coordinates analysis. We would expect both sexes to be represented in a multi-miracidium infection. In addition, we exposed several snails to infection by a single miracidium. One such snail, via an experimentally infected mouse, yielded 48 adult worms. The presence of at least nine near-identical MLGs among these worms was confirmed by re-genotyping. We regard somatic mutation as the most likely explanation for our results. The implications of multiple MLGs for population-genetic studies in S. japonicum are discussed. (C) 2008 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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