Molecular Identification of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei from a Dog in Minjingu Ward, Babati District, Tanzania

This study investigated the Spirometra tapeworm (Cestoda:Diphyllobothridae) collected from a dog in Minjingu ward in Tanzania using molecular analysis. Amplicons obtained from genomic DNA samples of individual adult worms were sequenced and compared to S. erinaceieuropaei data from the Gene Bank. The mt genome sequences of S. erinaceieuropaei from Tanzania show identical gene arrangements. The mt genomes are identical at 100% between S. erinaceieuropaei from Tanzania and Gene Bank. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted, resulting in a well-supported, consistent tree topology for S. erinaceieuropaei. The finding concluded that S. erinaceieuropaei are distributed in Tanzania. Therefore, we can know for the first time that dog is the definitive host of this tapeworm in Tanzania. These findings can be useful to the molecular diagnosis and control of Spirometra infections in human.