Mitochondrial genome sequencing reveals potential origins of the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei infesting two iconic Australian marsupials

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Research Article

Roz Holme¹  Renfu Shao²  Adam Polkinghorne²  Pam Whiteley³  Alynn Martin⁴  Scott Carver⁴  Tamieka A. Fraser⁵  Michael Charleston⁶  Nicholas M. Fountain-Jones⁷ 

[1] Cedar Creek Wombat Rescue Inc. & Hospital, Cedar Creek, NSW, Australia;Centre for Animal Health Innovation, School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia;Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC, Australia;School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Hobart, TAS, Australia;School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Hobart, TAS, Australia;Centre for Animal Health Innovation, School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia;School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Hobart, TAS, Australia;School of Information Technologies, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia;University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA;

关键词: Sarcoptes scabiei;    Wombat;    Koala;    Mitochondrial genome sequencing;    cox;    Phylogeny;    Conservation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12862-017-1086-9

 received in 2017-06-23, accepted in 2017-11-21,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDebilitating skin infestations caused by the mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, have a profound impact on human and animal health globally. In Australia, this impact is evident across different segments of Australian society, with a growing recognition that it can contribute to rapid declines of native Australian marsupials. Cross-host transmission has been suggested to play a significant role in the epidemiology and origin of mite infestations in different species but a chronic lack of genetic resources has made further inferences difficult. To investigate the origins and molecular epidemiology of S. scabiei in Australian wildlife, we sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of S. scabiei from diseased wombats (Vombatus ursinus) and koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) spanning New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, and compared them with the recently sequenced mitochondrial genome sequences of S. scabiei from humans.ResultsWe found unique S. scabiei haplotypes among individual wombat and koala hosts with high sequence similarity (99.1% - 100%). Phylogenetic analysis of near full-length mitochondrial genomes revealed three clades of S. scabiei (one human and two marsupial), with no apparent geographic or host species pattern, suggestive of multiple introductions. The availability of additional mitochondrial gene sequences also enabled a re-evaluation of a range of putative molecular markers of S. scabiei, revealing that cox1 is the most informative gene for molecular epidemiological investigations. Utilising this gene target, we provide additional evidence to support cross-host transmission between different animal hosts.ConclusionsOur results suggest a history of parasite invasion through colonisation of Australia from hosts across the globe and the potential for cross-host transmission being a common feature of the epidemiology of this neglected pathogen. If this is the case, comparable patterns may exist elsewhere in the ‘New World’. This work provides a basis for expanded molecular studies into mange epidemiology in humans and animals in Australia and other geographic regions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017