title: Opisthorchis viverrini-like liver fluke in birds from Vietnam: morphological variability and rDNA/mtDNA sequence confirmation.
abstract: Flukes were found in the bile ducts of domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), necropsied in the Binh Dinh province of Central Vietnam. Following staining, morphological characteristics of the bird flukes were compatible with Opisthorchis viverrini, although some characteristics differed from those described in specimens collected from mammal hosts. Computation of the phylogenetic trees on the partial sequences of the second internal ribosomal spacer (ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) markers of the mitochondrial DNA showed close similarity of the 'bird' Opisthorchis sp. with O. viverrini. We speculate that these bird flukes are O. viverrini that show intraspecies morphological and molecular variability compared to isolates from mammals. This demonstrates the complex epidemiological situation of opisthorchiasis in Vietnam and urges investigations on the potential of birds as a reservoir host of this zoonotic fluke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology,National Institute of Veterinary Research,Hanoi,Vietnam.
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Dao
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Public Health,Vietnam.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences,Institute of Tropical Medicine,Antwerp,Belgium.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences,Institute of Tropical Medicine,Antwerp,Belgium.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gabriël
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences,Institute of Tropical Medicine,Antwerp,Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dorny
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics*; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D004372:Ducks; D009889:Opisthorchiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009891:Opisthorchis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010802:Phylogeny; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D014744:Vietnam / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer