Hybridization increases genetic diversity in Schistosoma haematobium populations infecting humans in Cameroon.
Félicité Flore Djuikwo TeukengManon BlinNicolas BechMarta Reguera GomezRima Zein-EddineAlain Michel Kouam SimoJean-Francois AllienneLouis Albert Tchuem-TchuentéJérôme BoissierPublished in: Infectious diseases of poverty (2022)
Hybrids between S. haematobium and S. bovis were identified in 11.3% of miracidia that hatched from eggs present in the urine of Cameroonian schoolchildren. The percentages of these hybrids are correlated with the genetic diversity of the parasite, indicating that hybridization increases genetic diversity in our sampling sites. Hybridization is therefore a major biological process that shapes the genetic diversity of S. haematobium.