Xth EMOP, August 2008

The Nematoda Filarioidea: critical analysis linking molecular and traditional approaches

¹ Parasitologie Comparée et Modèles Expérimentaux, USM 307, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
² Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milano, Italy
³ Department of Medical Zoology, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka 545-8585, Japan

^* Correspondence: Odile Bain – E-mail: bain@mnhn.fr

Abstract

The molecular analysis of the Filarioidea and the endobacteria Wolbachia is no more limited to the agents of human diseases and the diversified sampling permits a synthesis with the morphological and biological results. The validity of the genera with “uncoherent host range”, such as Mansonella, Litomosoides and Cercopithifilaria, is confirmed and, consequently, their evolution by host-switchings. Dirofilaria and Onchocerca, types of two subfamilies, appear more closely related than with other onchocercids. Waltonellinae from anurans and Oswaldofilariinae from reptiles have a basal position. These filariae, and some others also considered primitive, do not harbour Wolbachia. Evidence for transversal transmission of the bacteria and a second acquisition event is given with the supergroup F, identified in Mansonella, in one of the Cercopithifilaria species and in arthropods.