Morphological and molecular characterization of an Anoplocephaline cestode, Moniezia expansa Rudolphi, 1810 infecting Capra hircus in Chandigarh (India)

The morphological and molecular characterization of an Anoplocephaline cestode Moniezia sp. collected from Capra hircus in Chandigarh was carried out using Gower's carmine stain and the nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) was investigated. Total of 10 gut collections of Capra hircus were made and checked for the infection with cestodes. All the cestodes collected were morphologically identified as Moniezia expansa as per the arrangement of interproglottidal glands, shape of eggs and morphometric description. Phylogenetic analysis based on cox1 revealed the close relatedness of the study species Moniezia sp. with Moniezia expansa infecting Ovis aries and Capra hircus from Senegal and Ethiopia with 87% homogeneity and nil (0.0) evolutionary divergence as compared to Moniezia benedeni with 86% homogeneity with 0.1 evolutionary divergence. ITS1 nucletoide sequences investigation showed sister relation of the study species with other Moniezia sp. from Poland with 93% homogeneity and 0.1 evolutionary divergence. The molecular results revealed cox1 as the better gene marker as it formed clear monophyly of the study species with M. expansa, but in the case of ITS1, the tree was somewhat more towards the polyphyly of anoplocephalinae. Thus, on the basis of morphological and molecular data based on cox1 and ITS1, the study species was identified as Moniezia expansa