The broad fish tapeworm Dibothriocephalus latus is a causative agent of human food-borne disease called diphyllobothriosis. Medical importance, scattered geographical distribution and unknown origin of D. latus in Europe and North America make this species to be an interesting model for population genetics. Microsatellite markers were originally designed by library screening using NGS approach and validated as tools for future studies on population genetics of D. latus. Out of 122 candidates selected after NGS analysis, 110 yielded PCR products of the expected size, and in 78 of them, a declared repetitive motif was confirmed by Sanger sequencing. After the fragment analysis, six loci were proved to be polymorphic and tested for observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosity, and deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). They promise future application in studies on genetic interrelationships, origin and migratory routes of this medically important emerging tapeworm.

• MeSH
• Diphyllobothrium classification   genetics   MeSH
• Genetic Variation * MeSH
• Genotyping Techniques methods   MeSH
• Microsatellite Repeats * MeSH
• Genetics, Population methods   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Europe MeSH
• North America MeSH

SUMMARY: Tapeworms (Cestoda) continue to be an important cause of morbidity in humans worldwide. Diphyllobothriosis, a human disease caused by tapeworms of the genus Diphyllobothrium, is the most important fish-borne zoonosis caused by a cestode parasite. Up to 20 million humans are estimated to be infected worldwide. Besides humans, definitive hosts of Diphyllobothrium include piscivorous birds and mammals, which represent a significant zoonotic reservoir. The second intermediate hosts include both freshwater and marine fish, especially anadromous species such as salmonids. The zoonosis occurs most commonly in countries where the consumption of raw or marinated fish is a frequent practice. Due to the increasing popularity of dishes utilizing uncooked fish, numerous cases of human infections have appeared recently, even in the most developed countries. As many as 14 valid species of Diphyllobothrium can cause human diphyllobothriosis, with D. latum and D. nihonkaiense being the most important pathogens. In this paper, all taxa from humans reported are reviewed, with brief information on their life history and their current distribution. Data on diagnostics, epidemiology, clinical relevance, and control of the disease are also summarized. The importance of reliable identification of human-infecting species with molecular tools (sequences of mitochondrial genes) as well as the necessity of epidemiological studies aimed at determining the sources of infections are pointed out. clinical relevance, and control of the disease are also summarized. The importance of reliable identification of human-infecting species with molecular tools (sequences of mitochondrial genes) as well as the necessity of epidemiological studies aimed at determining the sources of infections are pointed out.

• MeSH
• Diphyllobothriasis epidemiology   transmission   MeSH
• Diphyllobothrium physiology   classification   MeSH
• Financing, Organized MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Birds parasitology   MeSH
• Fishes parasitology   MeSH
• Mammals parasitology   MeSH
• Zoonoses epidemiology   transmission   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Review MeSH

Using ITS2 gene sequences, the validity of the tapeworm Diphyllobothrium pacificum (Nybelin, 1931), infecting humans on the Pacific coast of South America and in Japan, was assessed. ITS2 sequences of this cestode differed markedly (sequence similarity 79.0-80.2%) from those of the most common human-infecting cestode, the broad fish tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum (L.), as well as other four species of Diphyllobothrium, including potential human parasites (D. cordatum, D. dendriticum, and D. lanceolatum) and two species of Spirometra (sequence similarity 77.5-81.9%). Interspecific sequence similarity between all but one (D. pacificum) species was 86.1-99.6%, whereas individual isolates of D. dendriticum and D. ditremum exhibited intraspecific sequence similarity of 97.0-98.0% and 98.2-99.9%, respectively. Phylogenetic trees constructed from ITS2 sequences show a markedly distant position of D. pacificum from other species analyzed and also indicate the possible paraphyly of Spirometra.

• MeSH
• Diphyllobothriasis parasitology   MeSH
• Diphyllobothrium genetics   classification   MeSH
• Financing, Organized MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Herpestidae MeSH
• Fur Seals MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer genetics   MeSH
• Molecular Sequence Data MeSH
• Walruses MeSH
• Puma MeSH
• Fishes MeSH
• Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid MeSH
• Geography MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Comparative Study MeSH
• Geographicals
• South America MeSH