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Conference Agenda

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Daily Overview

Session

Import to your local calendar

CP21.2: Cells, Molecules & Genes 4 - 5 min talks

Time:

Thursday, 02/July/2026:

4:20pm - 4:30pm

Session Chair: Andrew Walker, The University of Queensland
Session Chair: Natasha Sharma, The University of Melbourne

Location: Lecture Theatre 1

Boulevard Room 3

Presentations

Genetic structuring of Simulium damnosum across Ghana's agro-ecological zones: implications for Onchocerca volvulus transmission dynamics

Millicent Opoku^1,2,3, Neha Sirwani^1,2, Kwadwo K. Frempong³, Sampson Otoo³, Sedou Naniogou⁴, Philomena Jackson³, Millicent S. Afatodzie³, Sellase Pi-Bansa³, Joseph H. N. Osei⁵, Franklin Ayisi³, Sarah M. Dogbe³, Abena A. Nyarko³, Warwick N. Grant², Daniel A. Boakye^3,4, Shannon M. Hedtke^1,2

¹La Trobe Institute of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia; ²Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia; ³Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana; ⁴The END FUND, New York, USA.; ⁵Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit, Water and Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Accra, Ghana

Understanding the population structure of Simulium damnosum, the blackfly vector of Onchocerca volvulus, is fundamental to predicting onchocerciasis transmission risk and optimising intervention strategies. We investigated the genetic structure of S. damnosum. S. damnosum specimens were collected from 24 localities across Ghana via human landing catches. Following genomic DNA extraction and short read-sequencing, genome-wide nuclear SNPs were generated and analysed using DAPC and ADMIXTURE to delineate ancestry clusters. Five genetically distinct clusters were identified, broadly corresponding to Ghana's major agro-ecological zones: two savannah clusters (GS/SS-A and GS/SS-B), a Coastal Savannah (CS), and two Semi-Deciduous Forest clusters (SDF-W and SDF-E). The unexpected subdivision of the SDF ecozone into two divergent lineages, with the Bosomase population forming a genetically isolated western unit, suggests that O.volvulus transmission dynamics may differ markedly across this zone despite shared ecological classification. Populations at ecozone boundaries showed elevated admixture (gene flow), indicating contact zones where vector populations and parasite strains may intermix. These results indicate that S. damnosum populations in Ghana should not be treated as a single panmictic unit for epidemiological modelling or parasitological surveillance. Parasite-vecto compatibility studies stratified by genetic cluster are warranted to fully characterise transmission risk across Ghana's heterogeneous landscape.

The molecular identification of Strongyloides fuelleborni from non-human primates (Bornean orangutans, chimpanzees and Red-Shanked Douc Langurs) in Khon Kaen Zoo, Thailand.

Jirawat Sangpeng¹, Atchara Artchayasawat¹, Chavin Chaisongkram^2,3, Kanda Ponsrila^2,3, Siriwan Kimkamkaew^2,3, Chatanun Eamudomkarn¹, Nuttanan Hongsrichan¹, Nonglak Laoprom⁴, Thidarut Boonmars¹, Paiboon Sithithaworn¹, Opal Pitaksakulrat¹

¹Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand;; ²Department of Research Conservation and Animal Health, Khon Kaen Zoo, 40280, Thailand; ³Zoological Organization Khon Kaen Zoo, 40002, Thailand; ⁴Department of General Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kasetsart University, Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus, Sakon Nakhon, 47000

Strongyloidiasis, caused by the nematodes Strongyloides stercoralis and S. fuelleborni, is a neglected tropical disease affecting millions of people in tropical and subtropical areas. Non-human primates (NHPs) are typically natural hosts of S. fuelleborni but this parasite may spread to humans by zoonotic transmission. In this study, the presence of Strongyloides infections in NHPs in Khon Kaen Zoo, Thailand, was tested for using the agar plate culture technique. Three out of nine species of NHPs harbored S. fuelleborni (33.3%). The overall prevalence from three infected species was 45.5% (5 of 11 animals). DNA was amplified from larval stages of S. fuelleborni and a portion of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene was sequenced. These sequences were identical to previously published for S. fuelleborni. The parasitological and molecular data obtained in this study confirmed the presence of S. fuelleborni among captive NHPs (Bornean orangutans, chimpanzees, and red-shanked douc langurs) in Khon Kaen Zoo in Thailand. There is therefore high transmission potential of S. fuelleborni from NHP reservoir hosts to humans and the subsequent development of human strongyloidiasis.