DNA barcode identification of freshwater snails in the family Bithyniidae from Thailand

Freshwater snails in the family Bithyniidae are the first intermediate host for Southeast Asian liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini), the causative agent of opisthorchiasis. Unfortunately, the subtle morphological characters that differentiate species in this group are not easily discerned by non-sp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2013-11, Vol.8 (11), p.e79144-e79144
Main Authors: Kulsantiwong, Jutharat, Prasopdee, Sattrachai, Ruangsittichai, Jiraporn, Ruangjirachuporn, Wipaporn, Boonmars, Thidarut, Viyanant, Vithoon, Pierossi, Paola, Hebert, Paul D N, Tesana, Smarn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Shells - anatomy & histology
Animals
Bar codes
Biodiversity
Bioinformatics
Bithynia
Bithyniidae
COI protein
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Divergence
DNA
DNA barcoding
DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic - methods
DNA, Mitochondrial - chemistry
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
Electron Transport Complex IV - genetics
Epidemiology
Evolution, Molecular
Food
Gastropoda - classification
Gastropoda - genetics
Gene sequencing
Genetic research
Genetic Variation
Geography
Identification
Liver
Medicine
Mitochondria
Mollusks
Morphology
Nucleotide sequence
Parasites
Parasitology
Phylogeny
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Snails
Snails - anatomy & histology
Snails - classification
Snails - genetics
Species
Species Specificity
Synonymy
Taxonomy
Thailand
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Summary:Freshwater snails in the family Bithyniidae are the first intermediate host for Southeast Asian liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini), the causative agent of opisthorchiasis. Unfortunately, the subtle morphological characters that differentiate species in this group are not easily discerned by non-specialists. This is a serious matter because the identification of bithyniid species is a fundamental prerequisite for better understanding of the epidemiology of this disease. Because DNA barcoding, the analysis of sequence diversity in the 5' region of the mitochondrial COI gene, has shown strong performance in other taxonomic groups, we decided to test its capacity to resolve 10 species/ subspecies of bithyniids from Thailand. Our analysis of 217 specimens indicated that COI sequences delivered species-level identification for 9 of 10 currently recognized species. The mean intraspecific divergence of COI was 2.3% (range 0-9.2 %), whereas sequence divergences between congeneric species averaged 8.7% (range 0-22.2 %). Although our results indicate that DNA barcoding can differentiate species of these medically-important snails, we also detected evidence for the presence of one overlooked species and one possible case of synonymy.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0079144