Biology subjects

Enabulele, E. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Enabulele, E. E..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Freshwater Snails in Schistosomiasis Endemic Communities in Ovia South-West Local Government Area in Edo State, Nigeria

BackgroundMalacological surveys are crucial for determining vectors transmitting the Schistosoma species responsible for schistosomiasis in endemic communities. Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State in Nigeria is one of the localities endemic for urogenital schistosomiasis. However, there is no report of the snail host of the disease in any community. MethodA year-long freshwater snail survey was conducted in seven localities (Aden, Igbogor, Ikoha, Okopon, Okponha, Siluko, and Ugbogui) in Ovia South-West to determine the snail diversity and identify species that are intermediate hosts for schistosomiasis. ResultA total of 468 snails, representing species in four genera (Bulinus, Lanistes, Melanoides, and Radix) were collected. Based on the morphological appearances of shells, five snails, B. forskalii, B. globosus, B. truncatus, L. varicus, and M. tuberculata were identified at the species level. A snail, Radix, could not be identified at the species level. Melanoides tuberculata was the most abundant snail and the only species identified in all sampled locations (n = 284, 60.68%). The next abundant species was Radix sp. (n = 106, 22.65%), followed by B. globosus (n = 42, 8.97%). The least abundant snail was B. truncatus (n = 5, 1.07%). At Siluko, all species of snails were present, and only M. tuberculata in Ugbogui. In both dry and wet seasons, all species of snails were present (wet, n = 297) (dry, n = 171). Similar snail diversity occurred in each sampling location in both seasons, with more individuals of each species collected during the wet season. The only infected snail was a single Radix sp. in Siluko that shed brevifurcate-apharyngeate distome furcocercariae. All other snail species were uninfected. ConclusionFor the first time in Edo State, snail vectors of schistosomiasis were reported but were uninfected with Schistosoma parasite. The brevifurcate-apharyngeate distome furcocercariae from the Radix sp. had conspicuous eye spots that suggest it is not a Schistosoma sp.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Genomic data reveal a north-south split and introgression history of blood fluke (Schistosoma haematobium) populations from across Africa

The human parasitic fluke, Schistosoma haematobium hybridizes with the livestock parasite S. bovis in the laboratory, but the frequency of hybridization in nature is unclear. We analyzed 34.6 million single nucleotide variants in 162 samples from 18 African countries, revealing a sharp genetic discontinuity between northern and southern S. haematobium. We found no evidence for recent hybridization. Instead the data reveal admixture events that occurred 257-879 generations ago in northern S. haematobium populations. Fifteen introgressed S. bovis genes are approaching fixation in northern S. haematobium with four genes potentially driving adaptation. We identified 19 regions that were resistant to introgression; these were enriched on the sex chromosomes. These results (i) suggest strong barriers to gene flow between these species, (ii) indicate that hybridization may be less common than currently envisaged, but (iii) reveal profound genomic consequences of rare interspecific hybridization between schistosomes of medical and veterinary importance.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Prospecting for zoonotic pathogens using targeted DNA enrichment

There are over 60 zoonoses linked to small mammals, including some of the most devastating pathogens in human history. Meanwhile, millions of museum-archived tissues are available to understand natural history of these pathogens. Our goal is to maximize the value of museum collections for pathogen-based research using targeted sequence capture. To this end, we have generated a probe panel that includes 39,916, 80bp RNA probes targeting 32 pathogen groups, including bacteria, helminths, fungi, and protozoans. Lab generated, mock control samples show that we are capable of enriching targeted loci from pathogen DNA 2,882 to 6,746-fold. Further, we were able to identify bacterial species in museum-archived samples, including Bartonella, a known human zoonosis. These results show that probe-based enrichment of pathogens is a highly customizable and efficient method for identifying pathogens from museum-archived tissues.

genomics↗