ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Parasitology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1659523
Pilot study on population genetics structure of Fasciola hepatica from geographical regions of seven provinces of South Africa
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- 2Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa
- 3South African National Biodiversity Institute, Silverton, South Africa
- 4University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- 5Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
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Introduction: Fasciolosis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, affecting livestock, wildlife, and humans globally. Understanding the genetic diversity and population structure of Fasciola spp. is essential for tracking transmission patterns, detecting drug resistance, and guiding targeted control efforts. This study aimed to assess genetic structure among Fasciola populations collected from cattle across seven provinces in South Africa. Methods: Liver flukes were collected from 57 cattle of 13 provincial abattoirs across South Africa and DNA was extracted from 189 F. hepatica specimens. Although sampling efforts varied slightly due to abattoir throughput, efforts were made to maximize geographic and ecological representation. Six polymorphic microsatellite loci were selected based on their broad allelic range and prior validation for F. hepatica population genetic studies. The allele frequencies, Fis and Fst values, heterozygosity and genetic distances were calculated on GenAlEx 6.51b2. Structure 2.3.4 was used to detect population structure. Results: A total of 277 alleles were identified across loci, with allelic richness varying by province. All loci were polymorphic and out of the total number of alleles identified, 3% were private alleles. Observed heterozygosity (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He) ranges suggest differences in genetic diversity and potential inbreeding. The fixation index (F) value and Fst values suggested moderate genetic differentiation between the populations, and the number of migrants per generation (Nm) indicated a high gene flow between provinces. Conclusion: The Ho and He indicated moderate genetic diversity within populations, while the F value showed moderate differentiation among populations. The STRUCTURE and Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) revealed four distinct genetic clusters across seven provinces. Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces displayed high genetic diversity and a high number of private alleles, suggesting potential reservoirs of genetic variation. Genetic distances varied by region, with neighbouring provinces showing lower genetic distances, indicating gene flow, which might be supported by the movement of livestock for trade. These findings highlight the genetic complexity and potential epidemiological challenges for fasciolosis in South Africa. Furthermore, considerable genetic diversity and gene flow across regions may complicate fasciolosis control and surveillance efforts in South Africa.
Keywords: genetic diversity, Population structuring, Cattle, Fasciola hepatica, microsatellites, South Africa
Received: 04 Jul 2025; Accepted: 27 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Nukeri, Malatji, Mnisi, CHAISI and Mukaratirwa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sophy Nukeri, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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