# Genetic diversity and haplotype analysis of cattle hydatid cyst isolates using mitochondrial markers in Kazakhstan

## TL;DR

This study identifies the genetic diversity of Echinococcus in cattle in Kazakhstan, finding that the G1 genotype is most common.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the haplotype diversity and genetic variation of Echinococcus in Kazakhstani cattle using mitochondrial markers.

## Key findings

- All isolates were identified as Echinococcus granulosus s.s., with 94.5% being the G1 genotype.
- 38 distinct haplotypes were identified through bioinformatic analysis of mitochondrial gene sequences.
- Only one region showed coexistence of G1 and G3 genotypes, suggesting regional epidemiological differences.

## Abstract

In Kazakhstan, the study of Echinococcus infection among farm animals is crucial to monitor the invasion among livestock and map the data obtained. Unfortunately, there are only partial data on the study of Echinococcus among cattle’s in Kazakhstan, which makes it difficult to conduct a comparative analysis of the epidemiological situation among livestock animals. The present study aimed to molecularly identify the species and haplotypes of the E. granulosus complex infecting cattle in Kazakhstan and investigate their genetic variation relative to mitochondrial (mt) targets.

Individual cyst isolates (n = 700) were collected from infected cattle lungs and livers after slaughter from the slaughterhouse. Total DNA was extracted from the germinal layers of the cyst from each isolate. This DNA sequenced partial mt genes of cytochrome c oxidase 1 (450 bp) and NADH dehydrogenase 1 (1200 bp).

We determined that all the sequences were detected as E. granulosus s.s., of which 69 (94.5%) samples belonged to G1, and only 4 (5.4%) samples belonged to the G3 genotype. After bioinformatic analysis, 38 haplotypes were identified.

Our findings revealed that the G1 genotype of E. granulosus s.s. is the predominant cattle genotype in Kazakhstan. However, only one region showed the presence of two genotypes G1 and G3, in the sequence, which suggests that further research is needed to investigate the epidemiology of Echinococcus infection in cattle in Kazakhstan.