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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Parasitology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1577469
Comprehensive mitochondrial genomics of Fasciola gigantica from Sudan: Insights into genetic diversity, evolutionary dynamics, and host adaptation
Provisionally accepted
Bashir Salim 1,2*
Nouh Mohamed 3
Kamal Ibrahim 4 Saeed Alasmari 5
Elisha Chatanga 6 Yuma Ohari 7
Nariaki Nonaka 7 Mohammad A Alsaad 8
Faisal Almathen 2
Ryo Nakao 7- 1 University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
- 2 King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
- 3 Molecular Biology Unit, Sirius Training and Research Center, Khartoum, Sudan, Khartoum, Sudan
- 4 Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Khartoum, Sudan
- 5 Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia
- 6 University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi, Malawi
- 7 Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan
- 8 Umm al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the complete mitochondrial genomes of Fasciola 29 gigantica isolated from cattle, sheep, and goats in Sudan, offering new insights into genetic 30 diversity, evolutionary dynamics, and host adaptation. Using high-throughput Illumina MiSeq 31 sequencing, we obtained mitochondrial genomes of 14,483 bp, slightly longer than the reference 32 genome (14,478 bp). Key genetic variations included a non-canonical start codon (GTG) in the 33 ND5 gene and an alternative stop codon (TAA) in ND4. Length polymorphisms in ND4L and 34 COX1 reflect adaptations affecting mitochondrial efficiency. Non-coding regions exhibited minor 35 length differences, with the long non-coding region extending by 20 bp and the short non-coding 36 region by 4 bp, potentially indicating regional evolutionary pressures. Sliding window analysis 37 revealed heterogeneous nucleotide diversity, with ND4 and ND5 being the most variable genes, 38 and COX1, ND1, and COX2 the most conserved. Phylogenetic analyses based on complete 39 mitochondrial genomes demonstrated distinct clustering of Sudanese F. gigantica isolates with 40 strong bootstrap support, reflecting a well-defined evolutionary trajectory. Notably, excluding the 41 D-loop maintained the phylogenetic structure, whereas D-loop-specific analysis revealed 42 increased variability, especially in the sheep isolate, highlighting its role in capturing recent 43 evolutionary changes. These findings enhance understanding of the genetic landscape and 44 evolutionary mechanisms shaping F. gigantica in Sudan and support more effective molecular 45 surveillance and targeted control strategies for fascioliasis in endemic regions. 46 47
Keywords: Fasciola gigantica, Mitochondrial genomics, genetic diversity, phylogenetics, host 48 adaptation 49 1. Introduction. 50 in Sudanese isolates, likely reflecting region-65 specific … improving molecular surveillance
Received: 15 Feb 2025; Accepted: 04 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Salim, Mohamed, Ibrahim, Alasmari, Chatanga, Ohari, Nonaka, Alsaad, Almathen and Nakao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Bashir Salim, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
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