Molecular confirmation and epidemiological implications of
4 affiliations
- 1Parasitology and Medical Malacology Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom, 73000, Thailand
- 2Parasitology and Medical Malacology Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom, 73000, Thailand; Corresponding author at: Parasitology and Medical Malacology Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand.
- 3Demonstration School of Silpakorn University, Faculty of Education, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom, 73000, Thailand
- 4Department of Biodiversity of Animals, University of Hamburg, and Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Museum of Nature, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, Hamburg, 20146, Germany
Abstract
Fish-borne zoonotic trematodes remain important food-borne parasitic infections in East and Southeast Asia, where transmission depends on snail intermediate hosts in freshwater ecosystems. Surveillance of cercarial infections in freshwater snails is therefore essential for understanding local transmission dynamics and epidemiological risk. This study investigated cercarial infections in thiarid snails from southern Thailand, with emphasis on zoonotic heterophyids and transmission ecology. A total of 566 thiarid snails were examined, of which Melanoides tuberculata was the dominant species ( n = 476). Cercarial infections were detected exclusively in M. tuberculata (10/476; 2.1%). Three trematode species were identified: parapleurolophocercous cercariae of Heterophyes heterophyes and Haplorchis pumilio, and virgulate xiphidiocercariae of Loxogenes liberum. Species identification was achieved through integrated morphological examination and Internal transcript spacer 2 (ITS2) sequence analysis, which confirmed all three taxa. H. heterophyes and H. pumilio each infected a different individual snail (0.2%), with no co-infections observed, whereas L. liberum was detected in eight snails (1.7%). This study represents the first molecularly confirmed record of H. heterophyes from the freshwater thiarid snail M. tuberculata in Thailand. The findings expand the known ecological host range of this medically important heterophyid beyond its traditionally recognized brackish-water transmission system and suggest that freshwater transmission pathways may occur under suitable environmental conditions. The study further demonstrates the value of combining morphology with molecular tools for accurate identification of cercariae and highlights the importance of continued surveillance of snail-borne trematodes in endemic freshwater ecosystems.
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BibTeX
@article{komsuwan2026molecular,
title = {{Molecular confirmation and epidemiological implications of}},
author = {Jirayus Komsuwan and Nuanpan Veeravechsukij and Wivitchuta Dechruksa and Kitja Apiraksena and Matthias Glaubrecht and Duangduen Krailas},
journal = {Parasite Epidemiology and Control},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1016/j.parepi.2026.e00553},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2026.e00553},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Molecular confirmation and epidemiological implications of
AU - Jirayus Komsuwan
AU - Nuanpan Veeravechsukij
AU - Wivitchuta Dechruksa
AU - Kitja Apiraksena
AU - Matthias Glaubrecht
AU - Duangduen Krailas
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Parasite Epidemiology and Control
DO - 10.1016/j.parepi.2026.e00553
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parepi.2026.e00553
AB - Fish-borne zoonotic trematodes remain important food-borne parasitic infections in East and Southeast Asia, where transmission depends on snail intermediate hosts in freshwater ecosystems. Surveillance of cercarial infections in freshwater snails is therefore essential for understanding local transmission dynamics and epidemiological risk. This study investigated cercarial infections in thiarid snails from southern Thailand, with emphasis on zoonotic heterophyids and transmission ecology. A total of 566 thiarid snails were examined, of which Melanoides tuberculata was the dominant species ( n = 476). Cercarial infections were detected exclusively in M. tuberculata (10/476; 2.1%). Three trematode species were identified: parapleurolophocercous cercariae of Heterophyes heterophyes and Haplorchis pumilio, and virgulate xiphidiocercariae of Loxogenes liberum. Species identification was achieved through integrated morphological examination and Internal transcript spacer 2 (ITS2) sequence analysis, which confirmed all three taxa. H. heterophyes and H. pumilio each infected a different individual snail (0.2%), with no co-infections observed, whereas L. liberum was detected in eight snails (1.7%). This study represents the first molecularly confirmed record of H. heterophyes from the freshwater thiarid snail M. tuberculata in Thailand. The findings expand the known ecological host range of this medically important heterophyid beyond its traditionally recognized brackish-water transmission system and suggest that freshwater transmission pathways may occur under suitable environmental conditions. The study further demonstrates the value of combining morphology with molecular tools for accurate identification of cercariae and highlights the importance of continued surveillance of snail-borne trematodes in endemic freshwater ecosystems.
SN - 2405-6731
ER -