Appraising the genetic diversity of Dipylidium caninum : first molecular evidence from Ghana, West Africa, in a global context

Abstract Dipylidium caninum is a globally distributed zoonotic cestode commonly found in dogs and cats. Recent molecular studies have identified 2 major, primarily host-associated genotypic clades. However, these findings are based on geographically restricted datasets and therefore may not capture the full extent of the species’ genetic diversity. Molecular data from many endemic regions remain scarce or entirely absent. In this study, D. caninum isolates collected from dogs in northern Ghana were characterized using partial fragments of the mitochondrial nad1 and cox1 genes. Parsimony analyses identified 4 haplotypes for cox1 and 7 for nad1 . For both genes, the Ghanaian isolates clustered within the globally recognized canine and feline genotypic groups, with the canine genotype predominating. When integrated into the existing global dataset, the analyses resolved 3 well-supported phylogenetic clades, designated as genotypes: 1 canine-associated G1 and 2 feline–canine-associated genotypes G2a and G2b. This study provides the first molecular data for D. caninum from Ghana, West Africa, contributes to a broader understanding of the global population structure and establishes a basis for future investigations into the biogeography of this cestode.