Genetic diversity among Schistosoma mansoni population in the western region of Saudi Arabia.

Schistosomiasis is an important parasitic disease that infects humans. Among the main species of schistosomes infecting humans are Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium. The accurate diagnosis of these parasitic infections will improve the success of disease control and management. Many studies proved that Schistosoma exhibit variations not only among species, but also among strains and between males and females, other than the obvious sexual characteristics associated with variations in the levels of infectivity, pathogenicity and immunogenicity. Our study on genetic diversity among populations of Schistosoma in Saudi Arabia gave a clear picture about this population and subsequently the method for controlling the parasites. From the examination of 40 collected samples of stools and urine, all urine samples were shown to be negative for the presence of Schistosoma eggs. On the other hand all stools samples were positive. Eggs were extracted from 20 faecal samples. Worms from each stool sample were collected, through completing the life cycle in white mice. The worms from each sample were collected and used for genetic diversity studies. Using three different primers, RAPD-PCR banding patterns showed that samples collected from Jeddah cluster together away from the rest of samples. Also, samples collected from Taif and Abha did not show any correlation between geographical location and DNA banding patterns.