Genetic variability of Brazilian populations of Lymnaea columella (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae), an intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica (Trematoda: Digenea).
In Brazil, Lymnaea columella is the most important intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica, the etiological agent of fasciolosis, which is a parasitic disease of veterinarian and human importance. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to investigate the genetic variability within and among nine Brazilian populations of L. columella comprising 205 individuals. A number of four primers were used for analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). Out of 83 RAPD markers, 63 (76%) were polymorphic and revealed 119 unique RAPD profiles. The levels of genetic variability found in the populations were low and most of the genetic variation was interpopulational (81.6%) when compared to intrapopulational variability (18.4%). These results are in accordance with the dynamics and distribution of the populations analyzed.
Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Laboratório de Helmintoses Intestinais, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou-Fiocruz, Avenida Augusto de Lima 1715, Barro Preto MG 30190-002, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Paula Cristina Marques
PC
Cardoso
Roberta Lima
RL
Caldeira
Maria Bernadete
MB
Lovato
Paulo Marcos Zech
PM
Coelho
Maria Elisabeth Aires
ME
Berne
Gertrud
G
Müller
Omar dos Santos
Odos S
Carvalho
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D005210:Fasciola hepatica / Q000502:physiology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique