Molecular identification of Oncomelania hupensis lindoensis, snail intermediate hosts of Schistosoma japonicum from Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Sutrisnawati, Ramadhan A, Trianto M. 2022. Molecular identification of Oncomelania hupensis lindoensis, snail intermediate hosts of Schistosoma japonicum from Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 5989-5994. Schistosomiasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease with Oncomelania hupensis lindoensis, intermediate snail hosts of Schistosoma japonicum. The spread of O. hupensis lindoensis snail habitat was found in the three areas of the Napu, Bada, and Lindu Highlands with an infection rate above 1%. Oncomelania hupensis lindoensis is primarily cryptic species that are morphologically difficult to identify and distinguish from other species. Consequently, it can be confused with the naming of species. One of the molecular approaches that can be used to identify the Oncomelania spp. quickly and accurately is DNA barcoding using the COI mitochondrial gene. However, the research on identifying Oncomelania spp. in Indonesia is still very limited. Therefore, this study aimed to identify six Oncomelania spp. from Napu and Lindu, Central Sulawesi using COI mitochondrial gene as a molecular marker for DNA barcoding. The method used in this study was a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method with universal primers, LCO-F and HCO-R. The data obtained were then analyzed using GeneStudio, DNASTAR, BLAST, Identification Engine, Mesquite, MEGAX, and BEAST. The analysis was conducted to obtain similarity, genetic distance and reconstruct a phylogenetic tree. The result revealed that all six samples of Oncomelania spp. collected from Napu and Lindu were identified in one species, namely Oncomelania hupensis lindoensis. This research is very important to be carried out regularly periodically so that it can be used as a basis for Schistosomiasis control program data and related sectors to eradicate snails effectively, efficiently, and on target.