Abstract:
The digenetic trematode, Haplorchis taichui is a minute intestinal trematode. It can be infected in mammals and humans via ingesting undercooked freshwater fish. In Thailand, this trematode species has been reported in several kind intermediate and definitive hosts. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of cercarial stage of H. taichui in freshwater snails using morphological and molecular approaches. The result shown that, 1,217 snail individuals from Chainat province were classified into 8 species including Filopaludina sumatrensis polygramma, F. martensi martensi, Bithynia siamensis, Lymnaea auriscularia, Planorbella sp., Adamietta housei, Melanoides tuberculata and Indoplanorbis exustus. The overall prevalence of parapleurolophocercous cercariae infection was 1.64 percent. Regarding the molecular identification, the 1,075 bp PCR product from DNA specific primer can be confirmed the only parapleurolophocercous cercaria in M. tuberculata from Noen-Kham district as H. taichui.