Diplogonoporiasis in Japan: genetic analyses of five clinical isolates
Naoki Arizono1, Soji Fukumoto, Sayuri Tademoto
1Department of Medical Zoology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan. arizonon@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp
Abstract:
Infection of the whale tapeworm Diplogonoporus balaenopterae (Diphyllobothriidae) is occasionally found in humans, especially among Japanese. In the present study, we analysed the nucleotide sequences of the 18S rDNA, ITS1 and cox1 genes of the immature and mature proglottids of Diplogonoporus species recovered from five Japanese patients. The nucleotide sequences of 18S rDNA, ITS1 and cox1 showed little, if any, intraspecific divergence. Phylogenetic analyses of several diphyllobothriid species revealed a close relationship of Diplogonoporus isolates with the cetacean tapeworm Diphyllobothrium stemmacephalum. The results suggest that the genus Diphyllobothrium is paraphyletic and raise a question regarding the validity of the genus Diplogonoporus.
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