CHINESE JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY AND PARASITIC DISEASES >

2026 , Vol. 44 >Issue 2: 252 - 259

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12140/j.issn.1000-7423.2026.02.015

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Genetic evolutionary characteristics of and prevalence of parasitic infections in tabanid flies in Shiqu County, eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

  • LI Mengqing ,
  • WANG Xu ,
  • YANG Yang ,
  • XUE Chuizhao ,
  • ZUO Qingqiu ,
  • YIN Jianhai ,
  • CAO Jianping
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  • 1 National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases; Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, Ministry of Health; World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tropical Diseases; National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
    2 School of Global Health, Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
    3 School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China

Received date: 2026-02-04

  Revised date: 2026-04-13

  Online published: 2026-04-22

Supported by

National Natural Science Foundation of China(82404325)

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Abstract

Objective To investigate the distribution characteristics of and prevalence of parasitic infections in tabanid flies in Shiqu County, eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, so as to provide baseline data for understanding tabanid fly distribution patterns and formulation of tabanid-borne disease control strategies in this region. Methods Tabanid samples were collected from Nixia Town, Sexu Town, and Luoxu Town of Shiqu County, Sichuan Province using a net trapping method from 10:00 to 14:00 in August 2023 and August 2025. Genomic DNA was extracted from tabanid samples, and target fragments were amplified and sequenced using 28S rRNA-specific primers. Sequences were assembled using the Geneious Prime software, and the species was identified with the BLAST tool in the GenBank database. Haplotype diversity was calculated using the DnaSP software, and saturation of base substitutions was tested with the DAMBE software. Nucleotide substitution models were screened with the jModelTest tool, and a phylogenetic tree was generated with the maximum likelihood method using the MEGA software. High-throughput sequencing was performed with universal parasite primers, and sequencing data were subjected to quality control, paired-end assembly, operational taxonomic unit (OTU) clustering to detect potential parasites in tabanid samples. Results A total of 324 tabanid specimens were sampled, and 304 valid samples were obtained following identification and screening, which belonged to three genera and three species, including Hybomitra bimaculate (Tabanidae), Tabanus rufofrator (Tabanidae), and Symphoromyia hirta (Rhagionidae). T. rufofrator was the dominant species (275 individuals, 90.4%, 275/304), and 24 (7.89%, 24/304) H. bimaculate and 5 S. hirta (1.65%, 5/304) were identified. Totally eight haplotypes were detected, including two for H. bimaculata and three each for T. rufofrator and S. hirta. Phylogenetic analysis revealed clear differentiation structures of the study sequences at family, genus, and species levels. Two H. bimaculata haplotypes (H3 and H4) were clustered into the same clade with the reference sequence with the GenBank accession number of M243434, and three T. rufofrator haplotypes (H1, H6 and H8) were clustered into the monophyletic clade with the reference sequence with the GenBank accession number of AF238561, while three S. hirta haplotypes (H2, H5 and H7) and the reference sequence with the GenBank accession number of AF238558 generated a highly supported monophyletic clade. High-throughput sequencing yielded 1 499 OUT, which contained two potential parasite-associated OUT, including Mastophorus muris and Romanomermis iyengari, which were only present in H. bimaculate, while no parasites were detected in T. rufofrator or S. hirta. Conclusion T. rufofrator is the dominant species of the tabanid fly community in Shiqu County, with an overall low genetic diversity. Low-abundance nematode sequences are detected in H. bimaculate, suggesting the potential ecological significance in the transmission of tabanid-borne pathogens on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Key words： Blood-sucking insect; Tabanid; Genetic evolution; Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; Shiqu

Cite this article

LI Mengqing , WANG Xu , YANG Yang , XUE Chuizhao , ZUO Qingqiu , YIN Jianhai , CAO Jianping . Genetic evolutionary characteristics of and prevalence of parasitic infections in tabanid flies in Shiqu County, eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau[J]. CHINESE JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY AND PARASITIC DISEASES, 2026 , 44(2) : 252 -259 . DOI: 10.12140/j.issn.1000-7423.2026.02.015

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