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Genotyping of South American clinical isolates of Pythium insidiosum based on single nucleotide polymorphism-based multiplex PCR

Genotipagem de isolados clínicos de Pythium insidiosum da América do Sul utilizando polimorfismos de nucleotídeo único baseado em PCR multiplex

ABSTRACT:

We aimed to genotype the South American clinical isolates of Pythium insidiosum using the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the ribosomal DNA sequences (rDNA). Previously, an SNP-based multiplex-PCR was able to distinguish three different clades of P. insidiosum isolates. Thus, we used this assay to evaluate South American clinical isolates of P. insidiosum (n=32), standard strains from Costa Rica (n=4), Thailand (n=3), Japan (n=1), and India (n=1), a standard strain of Pythium aphanidermatum, and Brazilian environmental isolates of Pythium torulosum, Pythium rhizo-oryzae and Pythium pachycaule voucher (n=3). It was possible to allocate each American P. insidiosum isolate to clade I, the isolates of India, Japan, and Thailand to clade II, and the Thai isolate to clade III. P. aphanidermatum, P.torulosum, P.rhizo-oryzae and P.pachycaule voucher isolates were not amplified. For the first time, a P. insidiosum isolate from Uruguay, South America, was included in molecular analyzes. By SNP-based multiplex-PCR, it was possible to perform the identification and genotyping of the South American isolates of P. insidiosum, demonstrating similar genetic characteristics of these isolates.

Key words:
Pythium insidiosum; Pythiosis; molecular detection; genotype; single nucleotide polimorphisms

RESUMO:

O objetivo deste estudo foi genotipar isolados clínicos de Pythium insidiosum da América do Sul utilizando polimorfismos de nucleotídeo único (SNP) de sequências de rDNA. Anteriormente, um multiplex-PCR baseado em SNP foi capaz de distinguir P. insidiosum em três diferentes clados. Dessa forma, utilizamos este método para avaliar isolados clínicos de P. insidiosum da América do Sul (n=32), cepas padrão da Costa Rica (n=4), Tailândia (n=3), Japão (n=1) e Índia (n=1), uma cepa padrão de Pythium aphanidermatum e isolados ambientais brasileiros de Pythium torulosum; Pythium rhizo-oryzae e Pythium pachycaule voucher (n=3). Os isolados analisados foram alocados aos clados: I (americanos), II (isolados da Índia, Japão e Tailândia), e III (um isolado tailandês). P. aphanidermatum, P.torulosum, P.rhizo-oryzae e P.pachycaule voucher não foram amplificados. Pela primeira vez, um isolado de P. insidiosum do Uruguai foi incluído em análises moleculares. Através da multiplex-PCR baseada em SNP, foi possível realizar a identificação e genotipagem dos isolados sul-americanos de P. insidiosum, demonstrando características genéticas semelhantes entre esses isolados.

Palavras-chave:
Pythium insidiosum; Pitiose; detecção molecular; genótipo; polimorfismos de nucleotídeo único

INTRODUCTION:

Pythium genus is an ecofriendly oomycete found in a varied ecosystem. Most species are saprobic or pathogens of plants, algae, fishes, insects, and mammals (ADHIKARI et al., 2013ADHIKARI, B.N. et al. Comparative genomics reveals insight into virulence strategies of plant pathogenic oomycetes. Plos One, v.8, n.10, e75072, 2013. Available from: <Available from: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0075072 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075072.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/articl...
). Pythium insidiosum causes pythiosis, a relevant infectious disease in human and animals that is widely distributed throughout the world (GAASTRA et al., 2010GAASTRA, W. et al. Pythium insidiosum: an overview. Veterinary Microbiology, v.146, n.1-2, p.1-16, 2010. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20800978 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2010.07.019.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2080...
). In Brazil, this oomycete is present predominantly in the swampy areas of Pantanal Mato-Grossense and Rio Grande do Sul State (RS) (SANTOS et al., 2014SANTOS, C.E.P. et al. Epidemiological survey of equine pythiosis in the Brazilian pantanal and nearby areas: results of 76 cases. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, v.34, p.270-274, 2014. Available from: <Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080613004152 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2013.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar...
; WEIBLEN et al., 2016WEIBLEN, C. et al . Seroprevalence of Pythium insidiosum infection in equine in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Ciência Rural, v.46, n.1, p.126-131, 2016. Available from: <Available from: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-84782016000100126 >. Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1590/0103-8478cr20150056.
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=s...
). Little is known about the presence of pythiosis in some countries of South America, such as Uruguay, where the first case in an equine was recently reported in Costas del Tacuarí, Departamento de Treinta y Tres (LABORATORIO REGIONAL ESTE DE DILAVE, 2012LABORATORIO REGIONAL ESTE DE DILAVE. Pitiosis equina. Archivo Veterinario del Este, v.4, n., p.12-14, 2012. Available from: <Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274699691_Archivo_Veterinario_del_Este_-_1213_2012 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.13140/rg.2.1.3010.7682.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication...
).

Due to the difficulty of diagnosing pythiosis and the high costs for laboratory identification of P. insidiosum, as well as the similarity to other agents, especially other oomycetes and filamentous fungi, there is a need for diagnostic tools that can identify rapidly this relevant microorganism. VILELA et al. (2015VILELA, R. et al. A biochemical screening approach to putatively differentiate mammalian pathogenic oomycota species in the clinical laboratory. Journal of Medical Microbiology, v.64, p.862-868, 2015. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26293112 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.000111.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2629...
) proposed a biochemical assay for identification of oomycetes; however, this technique should still be used carefully for the evaluation of P. insidiosum isolates (KRAJAEJUN et al., 2018KRAJAEJUN, T. Biochemical and genetic analyses of the oomycete Pythium insidiosum provide new insights into clinical identification and urease-based evolution of metabolism-related traits. PeerJ, v.6, e4821, 2018. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29888122 >. Accessed: Oct. 29, 2018. doi: 10.7717/peerj.4821.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2988...
).

Molecular biology tools have been successfully employed for diagnosing pythiosis, mainly using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the P. insidiosum internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the rRNA locus, i.e., the ribosomal DNA (rDNA region) that consists of 18S rRNA, internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), 5.8S rRNA, internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2), and 28S rRNA (GROOTERS & GEE, 2002GROOTERS, AM.; GEE, MK. Development of a nested polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection and identification of Pythium insidiosum. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, v.16, n.2, p.147-152, 2002. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11899029 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1189...
). Phylogenetic studies of P. insidiosum have already been used with different genetic markers to elucidate aspects related to epidemiology, pathogenesis, and hosts (SCHURKO et al., 2003aSCHURKO, A.M. et al. A molecular phylogeny of Pythium insidiosum. Mycology Research, v.107, n.5, p.537-544, 2003a.,bSCHURKO, A. et al. Evidence for geographic clusters: Molecular genetic differences among strains of Pythium insidiosum from Asia, Australia and the Americas are explored. Mycologia, v.95, n.2, p.200-208, 2003b.; KAMMARNJESADAKUL et al., 2011KAMMARNJESADAKUL, P. Phylogenetic analysis of Pythium insidiosum. Thai strains using cytochrome oxidase II (COX II) DNA coding sequences and internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS). Medical Mycology, v.49, n.3, p.289-295, 2011. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20818919 >. Accessed: Oct. 29, 2018. doi: 10.3109/13693786.2010.511282.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2081...
; AZEVEDO et al., 2012AZEVEDO, M.I. et al. Phylogenetic relationships of Brazilian isolates of Pythium insidiosum based on ITS rDNA and cytochrome oxidase II gene sequences. Veterinary Microbiology, v.159, n.1-2, p.141-148, 2012. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22483240 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.03.030.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2248...
; RIBEIRO et al., 2017RIBEIRO, T.C. et al. Microevolutionary analyses of Pythium insidiosum isolates of Brazil and Thailand based on exo-1,3-β-glucanase gene. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, v.48, n.58-63, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27894990 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.11.020.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2789...
). The first phylogenetic analyses grouped P. insidiosum in three clusters: cluster I North, Central, and South America; cluster II Australia, North America, Southeast Asia, and Thailand; and cluster III North America and isolates from Thailand (SCHURKO et al., 2003aSCHURKO, A.M. et al. A molecular phylogeny of Pythium insidiosum. Mycology Research, v.107, n.5, p.537-544, 2003a.,bSCHURKO, A. et al. Evidence for geographic clusters: Molecular genetic differences among strains of Pythium insidiosum from Asia, Australia and the Americas are explored. Mycologia, v.95, n.2, p.200-208, 2003b.). However, these analyses have limitations owing to the high costs, time required for DNA sequencing, and the delay in obtaining results.

Simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers have been used for studies of diversity and relationship in different microorganisms, including P. insidiosum (SUPABANDHU et al., 2007SUPABANDHU, J. et al. Polymorphic microsatellite markers for the human oomycete pathogen Pythium insidiosum. Molecular Ecology Resources, v.7, n.6, p.1088-1090, 2007. Available from: <Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1471-8286.2007.01787.x >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-8286.2007.01787.x.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/...
; RUJIRAWAT et al., 2017RUJIRAWAT, T. et al. Single nucleotide polymorphism-based multiplex PCR for identification and genotyping of the oomycete Pythium insidiosum from humans, animals and the environment. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. v.54, p.429-436, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28826756 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.08.004.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2882...
). The purpose of our study was genotyping American clinical isolates of P. insidiosum using a fast, simple, and low-cost tool based on SNP multiplex PCR.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Thirty-one clinical isolates of P. insidiosum from Brazil, one from Uruguay, standard strains from Costa Rica (n=4), Thailand (n=3), Japan (n=1), and India (n=1) were analyzed (Table1). Additionally, one standard strain of Pythium aphanidermatum and three environmental species of Pythium (P.torulosum, P.rhizo-oryzae and P.pachycaule voucher) were included in this research. All isolates were cultivated and submitted to total DNA extraction and amplification of rDNA region were according to AZEVEDO et al. (2012AZEVEDO, M.I. et al. Phylogenetic relationships of Brazilian isolates of Pythium insidiosum based on ITS rDNA and cytochrome oxidase II gene sequences. Veterinary Microbiology, v.159, n.1-2, p.141-148, 2012. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22483240 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.03.030.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2248...
) using the primers ITS1 (5′-TCCGTAGGTGAACCTGCGG-3′) and ITS4 (5′-CTTCCGTCAATTCCTTTAAG-3′) (WHITE et al., 1990WHITE, T. Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics. In: Innis, M., Gelfand, D., Sninsky, J.J. (Eds.), PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, New York, 1990, 315-322.). The primers used for SNP multiplex PCR amplification were ITS1, R1 (5′-CCTCACATTCTGCCATCTCG-3’), R2 (5′-ATACCGCCAATAGAGGTCAT-3′), and R3 (5′-TTACCCGAAGGCGTCAAAGA-3′) (RUJIRAWAT et al., 2017RUJIRAWAT, T. et al. Single nucleotide polymorphism-based multiplex PCR for identification and genotyping of the oomycete Pythium insidiosum from humans, animals and the environment. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. v.54, p.429-436, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28826756 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.08.004.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2882...
). Amplifications were performed according to RUJIRAWAT et al. (2017) with modifications. Briefly, in a final volume of 25μL, the PCR reaction contained 1μM of the forward primer ITS1, 0.5μM each of the reverse primers (R1, R2, and R3), 1.5 units of Taq DNA polymerase (Invitrogen), 200μM of each deoxynucleotide, 1.5mM MgCl2, 1x enzyme buffer, and 100ng of DNA sample. The amplifications were carried out in a programmable thermal cycler (PTC-100, MJ Research), with initial denaturation at 95°C for 5min, 20 cycles of denaturation at 95°C for 30s, annealing at 53°C for 30s, and extension at 72°C for 45s, and then a final extension at 72°C for 10min. A 5µL aliquot of the PCR product was submitted to electrophoresis on 1% agarose gels, stained with ethidium bromide, and visualized under ultraviolet light.

Table 1
Isolates of Pythium. insidiosum (n=36) and other species of Pythium (n=4) used for evaluation of the multiplex PCR assay and their information of GenBank acession number of rDNA sequence, isolate source, geographic origin and phylogenetic clade.

The PCR products of rDNA region presenting a single band with the desired length (approximately 500-800pb) were purified with PureLink PCR Purification Kit (Invitrogen), and the DNA was sequenced in an automatic sequencer (ABI-Prism 3500 Genetic Analyzer) using the primers ITS1 and ITS4 (WHITE, 1990WHITE, T. Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics. In: Innis, M., Gelfand, D., Sninsky, J.J. (Eds.), PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, New York, 1990, 315-322.). Phylogenetic analysis for rDNA region was conducted by Neighbor-joining (NJ) method with 10,000 bootstrap replicates. All rDNA sequences from P. insidiosum clinical isolates from South America and standard strains of Costa Rica, India, Japan and Thailand, as well as P. aphanidermatum, P.torulosum, P.rhizo-oryzae and P.pachycaule voucher and Phytopythium vexans (outgroup) were used to construct the phylogenetic tree.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Based on the multiplex PCR targeting the three SNPs identified in the rDNA region, all the thirty-six South and Central American isolates of P. insidiosum and the five standard strains from Thailand, India and Japan were grouped in their respective clades, as suggested by RUJIRAWAT et al. (2017RUJIRAWAT, T. et al. Single nucleotide polymorphism-based multiplex PCR for identification and genotyping of the oomycete Pythium insidiosum from humans, animals and the environment. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. v.54, p.429-436, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28826756 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.08.004.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2882...
) (Table 1, Figure 1). We observed that the American clinical isolates, grouped in clade I, generated amplicons of approximately 490 and 660bp when using the primers ITS1/R1 and ITS1/R2, respectively. P. aphanidermatum, P.torulosum, P.rhizo-oryzae and P.pachycaule voucher were not amplified since these isolates do not belong to any P. insidiosum clade.

Figure 1
Agarose gel electrophoresis of PCR amplification of the rDNA sequences of Pythium insidiosum from strains of each clade and controls. The amplicon size generated by SNP were: primers ITS1/R1 (~490bp) + primers ITS1/R2 (~660bp)=Clade I - 1: P. insidiosum 0-44, 2: P. insidiosum 138, 3: P. insidiosum 219, 4: P. insidiosum 247, 5: P. insidiosum 260, 6: P. insidiosum 152, 7: P. insidiosum 152, primers ITS1/R2 (~660bp)=Clade II - 8: P. insidiosum 1H, 9: P. insidiosum 2H, 10: P. insidiosum 6H, 11: P. insidiosum 7H, primers ITS1/R3 (~800bp) = Clade III - 12: P. insidiosum 8H, 13: P. aphanydermatum, 14: P. tolurosum, 15: Negative control: ddH2o (PCR grade), 16: 100-bp DNA ladder marker.

The multiplex PCR targeting the three SNPs identified in the rDNA region was developed by RUJIRAWAT et al. (2017RUJIRAWAT, T. et al. Single nucleotide polymorphism-based multiplex PCR for identification and genotyping of the oomycete Pythium insidiosum from humans, animals and the environment. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. v.54, p.429-436, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28826756 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.08.004.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2882...
) and has many advantages, such as 100% of sensitivity, and specificity, rapid and cost-effective identification, and genotyping of P. insidiosum. As these authors evaluated only one Brazilian isolate of P. insidiosum in their study, we proposed to evaluate an expressive number of P. insidiosum clinical isolates from South America using this technique.

The molecular phylogeny obtained for the rDNA region showed P. insidiosum as paraphyletic in relation to other Pythium species. However, it was observed that South and Central American P. insidiosum isolates were grouped together, forming a monophyletic group. In addition, isolates from other countries formed a basal-positioning group in relation to the American isolates (Figure 2). These results were consistent with AZEVEDO et al. (2012AZEVEDO, M.I. et al. Phylogenetic relationships of Brazilian isolates of Pythium insidiosum based on ITS rDNA and cytochrome oxidase II gene sequences. Veterinary Microbiology, v.159, n.1-2, p.141-148, 2012. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22483240 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.03.030.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2248...
) and RIBEIRO et al (2017RIBEIRO, T.C. et al. Microevolutionary analyses of Pythium insidiosum isolates of Brazil and Thailand based on exo-1,3-β-glucanase gene. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, v.48, n.58-63, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27894990 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.11.020.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2789...
) that used rDNA (ITS) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit II as molecular markers and exo-1,3-β glucanase gene in phylogenetic analyses of Brazilian P. insidiosum isolates, respectively. Moreover, all isolates of P. insidiosum from India, Japan and Thailand were grouped in different clades as proposed by SCHURKO et al. (2003 a,b) and lately supported by SUPABANDHU et al. (2008SUPABANDHU, J. et al. Isolation and identification of the human pathogen Pythium insidiosum from environmental samples collected in Thai agricultural areas. Medical Mycology, v.46, n.1, p.41-52, 2008. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17885956 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1080/13693780701513840.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1788...
).

Figure 2
Neighbor-joining tree based on sequence analysis of the rDNA ITS showing relationships among clinical isolates of P. insidiosum from South America (Brazil (BR) and Uruguay (Uy) and standard strains of Costa Rica (CR), India (IN), Japan (JP) and Thailand (TH), as well as P. aphanidermatum and environmental Pythium spp. (P. pachycaule voucher, P. rhizo oryzae and P. torulosum isolates). Bootstrap values expressed in percentages based on 10,000 replicates are present at their corresponding clades.

According to RUJIRAWAT et al. (2017RUJIRAWAT, T. et al. Single nucleotide polymorphism-based multiplex PCR for identification and genotyping of the oomycete Pythium insidiosum from humans, animals and the environment. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. v.54, p.429-436, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28826756 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.08.004.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2882...
) multiplex PCR targeting the three SNPs identified in the rDNA (ITS) region were able to allocate P. insidiosum to clade-I provided two amplicons (approximately 490 and 660bp), whereas the clades-II and -III showed only one amplicon (approximately 660 and 800bp, respectively). The same results were obtained in this study, allowing to assign each American P. insidiosum isolates to clade I, isolates from India, Japan, and Thailand to clade II, and one Thai isolate to clade III. In addition, P. aphanidermatum, P.torulosum, P.rhizo-oryzae and P.pachycaule voucher were not amplified. Thus, these results evidenced that this molecular biology methodology is specific and sensitive for identification and genotyping of P. insidiosum, in agreement with RUJIRAWAT et al. (2017)RUJIRAWAT, T. et al. Single nucleotide polymorphism-based multiplex PCR for identification and genotyping of the oomycete Pythium insidiosum from humans, animals and the environment. Infection, Genetics and Evolution. v.54, p.429-436, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28826756 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.08.004.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2882...
.

The genome sequences of P. insidiosum recently available can be a useful genetic resource for exploring aspects related the biology and evolution

P.insidiosum and other oomycetes since independently assessed genes may not provide much information when compared to genomes. However, genome analyses are still recent, expensive and laborious when compared to the available molecular analyses (RUJIRAWAT et al., 2015RUJIRAWAT, T. et al. Draft genome sequence of the pathogenic oomycete Pythium insidiosum strain Pi-S, isolated from a patient with pythiosis. Genome Announcements, v.3, n.3, e00574-15, 2015. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4472884/ >. Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.00574-15.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
; TANGPHATSORNRUANGA et al., 2016TANGPHATSORNRUANGA, S. et al. Comparative mitochondrial genome analysis of Pythium insidiosum and related oomycete species provides new insights into genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships. Gene, v.575, n.1, p.34-41, 2016. Available from: <Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378111915010057?via%3Dihub >. Accessed: Oct. 29, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.08.036.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar...
).

For the first time, a P. insidiosum isolate from Uruguay were included in phylogenetic analysis. A single case of equine pythiosis has been reported by the Laboratorio Regional Este de DILAVE (2012). It is of note there is still little knowledge about pythiosis in Uruguay. However, we are aware of other cases of equine pythiosis in that country (unpublished data). Additionally, MACHADO et al. (2018MACHADO, G. et al. Potential distribution of Pythium insidiosum in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and projections to neighbour countries. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, p.1-9, 2018. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29920968 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1111/tbed.12925.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2992...
) suggested that P. insidiosum is a generalist pathogen that has the potential to move between the borders of southern Brazil, e.g., RS (the southernmost state in Brazil) and Uruguay. P. insidiosum isolate from Uruguay was grouped in clade I, together with isolates from Brazil. This was evidenced by both multiplex PCR and phylogenetic analysis, proving that the South American isolates are grouped in the same clade, as previously suggested (SCHURKO et al., 2003aSCHURKO, A.M. et al. A molecular phylogeny of Pythium insidiosum. Mycology Research, v.107, n.5, p.537-544, 2003a.,b; KAMMARNJESADAKUL et al., 2011KAMMARNJESADAKUL, P. Phylogenetic analysis of Pythium insidiosum. Thai strains using cytochrome oxidase II (COX II) DNA coding sequences and internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS). Medical Mycology, v.49, n.3, p.289-295, 2011. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20818919 >. Accessed: Oct. 29, 2018. doi: 10.3109/13693786.2010.511282.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2081...
; AZEVEDO et al., 2012AZEVEDO, M.I. et al. Phylogenetic relationships of Brazilian isolates of Pythium insidiosum based on ITS rDNA and cytochrome oxidase II gene sequences. Veterinary Microbiology, v.159, n.1-2, p.141-148, 2012. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22483240 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.03.030.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2248...
; RIBEIRO et al., 2017RIBEIRO, T.C. et al. Microevolutionary analyses of Pythium insidiosum isolates of Brazil and Thailand based on exo-1,3-β-glucanase gene. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, v.48, n.58-63, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27894990 >. Accessed: Jul. 10, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.11.020.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2789...
).

CONCLUSION:

The SNP-based multiplex-PCR methodology has benefits (i.e., fast, simple, and low-cost) and was possible to carry out the identification and genotyping of the South American isolates of P. insidiosum. For the first time a P. insidiosum isolate from equine in Uruguay was identified and genotyped. Furthermore, the American P. insidiosum isolates evaluated showed similar genetic characteristics.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are grateful to Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq: 442020/2014-7), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (PqG/FAPERGS: 27293.414.15435.20062017) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) (finance code 001) for scientific, financial support and student’s scholarships.

REFERENCES:

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    CR-2018-0744.R1

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    2019

History

  • Received
    11 Sept 2018
  • Accepted
    09 Nov 2018
  • Reviewed
    09 Dec 2018
Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Centro de Ciências Rurais , 97105-900 Santa Maria RS Brazil , Tel.: +55 55 3220-8698 , Fax: +55 55 3220-8695 - Santa Maria - RS - Brazil
E-mail: cienciarural@mail.ufsm.br