VIII. Academic Studies Congress | Andizhan, Uzbekistan

First report on Toxoplasma gondii, Hepatozoon ixoxo and Lankesterella sp. infections in frogs and toads from Pakistan.

Not scheduled

20m

Speaker

Mubashra Salim (BZU Multan Pakistan)

Description

Abstract
Despite Pakistan's rich amphibian fauna, frog and toad species in the country have remained unexplored for blood borne parasites. This study aimed to report the molecular prevalence and phylogenetic evaluation of Hepatozoon spp., Lankesterella sp. and Toxoplasma gondii among blood samples from four amphibian species (N = 223) collected from various areas in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Molecular analyses revealed that 17 out of 223 (7.6%) amphibians were infected with Hepatozoon spp. with the highest infection rates in Bufo olivaceous (20%), followed by Bufo stomaticus (9.3%) and Hoplobatrachus tigerinus (5.05%). DNA sequencing and BLAST analysis confirmed the presence of Hepatozoon ixoxo and Lankesterella sp. Phylogenetic analysis of both pathogens showed genetic diversity among the Pakistani isolates, which clustered with isolates from birds, amphibians, and reptiles worldwide..
Notably, 4.5% of the screened Pakistani anurans including frogs (H. tigerinus, 8.1%) and toads (B. stomaticus, 1.9%) were infected with Toxoplasma gondii for the first time. Parasite prevalence varied between the sampling sites as well as amphibian species. This study represents the first report from Pakistan documenting prevalence and genetic characterization of Hepatozoon sp., Lankesterella sp., and Toxoplasma gondii among amphibians. We recommended similar large-scale studies in various geo-climatic regions of Pakistan to further explore the epidemiology, genetic diversity, host-parasite interactions, and effective control of of these pathogens among the local frog and toad species.