Mitochondrial ND1 gene sequences used to identify echinostome isolates from Australia and New Zealand.

Echinostomes were collected in Australia and New Zealand as cercariae, metacercariae or adults. Using DNA sequences from the mitochondrial ND1 gene Echinostoma revolutum and Echinostoma paraensei were discovered in Australia. The presence of a further five, as yet unidentified, echinostome species was inferred in Northern Australia and a further isolate, closely allied to E. revolutum, occurs in New Zealand. ND1 sequences of species within the genus diverge from each other by 9.6-30.8%. Sequence divergence levels among strains within a single species are 0-3.6%. The phylogenetic tree produced from the Australasian isolates, in addition to species described previously, identifies the 37-collar-spine species as a well supported monophyletic group. The five unidentified Australian species cluster away from the 37-collar-spine group. These unidentified species appear to divide further into > 37-collar-spine and < 37-collar-spine clusters. Three strains of E. revolutum, collected as metacercariae from snails, were identified from two ponds located 6 km apart. Two of these strains may be cycling through a planorbid snail, Glyptophysa sp., as first intermediate host; however, this hypothesis could not be confirmed as specimens could not be obtained to match sequences between larvae and adults.