Haemogregarine Genetic Diversity in Captive African Rock Pythons from Nigeria Suggests a Geographical Pattern

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Understanding the processes that drive parasite diversification, distribution, and abundance is central to disentangle the dynamics and evolution of diseases. In this study, we screened African rock pythons from Nigeria for the presence of blood parasites to assess their distribution, diversity, and phylogenetic relationships. METHODS: A total of 21 captive African rock pythons collected from across 11 locations in Nigeria were sampled between August 2016 and January 2017. Samples were microscopically and genetically analyzed. RESULTS: From the blood smears analyzed, 10 (47.6%) snakes were found to be infected with haemogregarines. Eight of the infected samples were genetically assessed and confirmed as haemogregarines of the recently described Bartazoon group. Two haplotypes were retrieved, of which one was distributed in the northern-central sampled localities and the other in the southern localities. The two haplotypes were clustered in a clade of haemogregarines from snake, gecko, and rodent hosts, and among them, the haemogregarine species Hepatozoon ayorgbor was described from the ball python Python regius. CONCLUSIONS: Two haemogregarine haplotypes in Nigerian rock pythons, which appear to have a geographical pattern across the country, were detected in this study.