First report ofEchinococcus granulosus sensu stricto(G1) in Nigeria, West Africa

Abstract

Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto is regarded to have the highest zoonotic potential of all Echinococcus taxa. Globally, human infection due to this species constitutes over 88.44% of the total cystic echinococcosis (CE) burden. Here, we report a CE infection in a Nigerian camel caused by E. granulosus G1 genotype. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first encounter of the G1 genotype in the West Africa sub-region where the G6 genotype is reportedly prevalent, suggesting that the epidemiology of this highly zoonotic group could have a wider host range and distribution in the sub-region, and emphasizes the need for further investigation into the genetic diversity of Echinococcus spp. in Nigeria and across the sub-region.

Prevalence and distribution ofEchinococcusspp. in wild and domestic animals across Africa: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Algeria) where the G1 genotype is prevalent, suggesting the possibility of transboundary transmission. However, a study from Nigeria recently reported a CE infection in a dromedary that was caused by the G1 genotype (Ohiolei, Yan, Li, Isaac, et al, 2019).…”

“…Thus, the rareness of the G1 genotype in the sub-region could be due to poor surveillance as most countries in the sub-region are largely uninvestigated (Deplazes et al, 2017;Ohiolei, Yan, Li, Isaac, et al, 2019;. This scarcity of data and the uneven distribution of the available studies in the sub-region could make the observation relatively less representative.…”

“…However, a study from Nigeria recently reported a CE infection in a dromedary that was caused by the G1 genotype (Ohiolei, Yan, Li, Isaac, et al, 2019). Thus, the rareness of the G1 genotype in the sub‐region could be due to poor surveillance as most countries in the sub‐region are largely uninvestigated (Deplazes et al., 2017; Ohiolei, Yan, Li, Isaac, et al, 2019; Ohiolei, Yan, Li, Zhu, et al, 2019). This scarcity of data and the uneven distribution of the available studies in the sub‐region could make the observation relatively less representative.…”