title: [Lymnaea cousini , intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica in the Colombian high tropical Andes, and its new haplotypes confirmed with the mitochondrial marker cytochrome oxidase I].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fasciolosis is the disease transmitted by vectors with the highest latitudinal, longitudinal, and altitudinal distribution due to the colonizing capacity of the parasite Fasciola hepatica and its intermediate hosts, Lymnaeidae mollusks. These snails are under research due to their epidemiological importance, but their taxonomic identification is difficult given their interspecific phenotypical similarity. For this reason, there is uncertainty regarding Lymnaea cousini -a host of F. hepatica in Colombia- due to the morphological similarity it has with Lymnaea meridensis , recently described for Venezuela.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To confirm with the COI marker (ADNmt) the taxonomic status of individuals morphologically identified as L. cousini from Nariño, Norte de Santander, and Santander (Colombia), deposited in the Vector Mollusks Collection VHET No. 37 of Universidad de Antioquia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The amplification of the mitochondrial COI required total DNA extraction of each individual´s foot using the DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit (Qiagen®). Products amplified were sent for sequencing to Macrogen Inc., Korea. Twenty seven sequences generated in this research were compared to sequences published in the GenBank, including sequences of the type locality of L. cousini .
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two new haplotypes of L. cousini were obtained for Colombia. Specimens from Nariño correspond to haplotype A, referenced for Ecuador, and specimens from Santander and Norte de Santander belong to a new haplotype we called haplotype D.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By using the mitochondrial COI marker, we confirmed that the species under study did correspond to L. cousini . The number of known haplotypes of the species for Colombia has been duplicated and its geographical distribution has been extended to the southwest and northeast of the Colombian high Andean region.
authors.affiliation: Línea de Investigación en Epidemiología, Diagnóstico y Control de Enfermedades causadas por Trematodos, GIEM, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Industrial de Santander.
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uribe
authors.affiliation: Semillero de Investigación en Enfermedades Parasitarias y Parasitología (SIEPA), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de Pamplona, Pamplona, Colombia.
authors.forename: Wlda Margarita
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Becerra
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Malacología Médica y Trematodos, , Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales (PECET), Universidad de Antioquia.
authors.forename: Luz Elena
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Velásquez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015415:Biomarkers; D003105:Colombia; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D004199:Disease Vectors / Q000145:classification*; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005210:Fasciola hepatica; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000145:classification* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D021122:Protein Subunits; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D021122:Protein Subunits; D004247:DNA; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV