Background: Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) is the causative
agent of cystic echinococcosis (CE), which is a cosmopolitan zoonotic
parasitic disease infecting humans and a wide range of mammalian species
including cattle. Currently, little information is available on the
genetic diversity of Echinococcus species among livestock in Sudan. In the
present study, fifty (n = 50) hydatid cysts were collected from cattle
carcasses (one cyst sample per animal) at Al-kadarou slaughterhouse,
Khartoum North, Sudan. DNA was extracted from protoscolices and the
germinal layer of each cyst and subsequently amplified by PCR targeting
the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (NADH-1) gene. The
amplified PCR products were purified and subjected to direct sequencing
for subsequent construction of phylogenetic tree and net work analysis.
Results: The phylogenetic tree revealed the presence of Echinococcus
canadenesis genotype 6 (G6) in 44 cysts (88.0%), Echinococcus ortleppi
genotype 5 (G5) in 4 cysts (8.0%) and Echinococcus granulosus sensu
stricto (s.s) genotype 1 (G1) in 2 cysts (4.0%). The phylogenetic network
analysis revealed genetic variation among the different
haplotypes/genotypes. This report has provided, for the first time, an
insight of the role of cattle in the transmission of the zoonotic G1
echinococosis. Conclusions: The results of the study illustrate that
Sudanese breeds of cattle may play an important role in the transmission
dynamics and the epidemiology of cystic echinococcosis in Sudan. This
study reports the first molecular identification of E. granulosus s.s. in
cattle in Central Sudan. Median Joining
NetworkNW.pptxNADH1 gene alignmentNADH1.fas