IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-58543-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Genomic data reveal a north-south split and introgression history of blood fluke populations across Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Roy N. Platt II

    (Texas Biomedical Research Institute)

  • Egie E. Enabulele

    (Texas Biomedical Research Institute)

  • Ehizogie Adeyemi

    (University of Benin Teaching Hospital)

  • Marian O. Agbugui

    (Edo State University)

  • Oluwaremilekun G. Ajakaye

    (Adekunle Ajasin University)

  • Ebube C. Amaechi

    (University of Ilorin)

  • Chika P. Ejikeugwu

    (Enugu State University of Science and Technology)

  • Christopher Igbeneghu

    (Ladoke Akintola University of Technology)

  • Victor S. Njom

    (Enugu State University of Science and Technology)

  • Precious Dlamini

    (Central Public Health Offices)

  • Grace A. Arya

    (Texas Biomedical Research Institute)

  • Robbie Diaz

    (Texas Biomedical Research Institute)

  • Muriel Rabone

    (Natural History Museum)

  • Fiona Allan

    (Natural History Museum)

  • Bonnie Webster

    (Natural History Museum)

  • Aidan Emery

    (Natural History Museum)

  • David Rollinson

    (Natural History Museum
    Global Schistosomiasis Alliance)

  • Timothy J. C. Anderson

    (Texas Biomedical Research Institute)

Abstract

The human parasitic fluke, Schistosoma haematobium hybridizes with the livestock parasite S. bovis in the laboratory, but the frequency of hybridization in nature is unclear. Here, we analyze 34.6 million single nucleotide variants in 162 samples from 18 African countries, revealing a sharp genetic discontinuity between northern and southern S. haematobium. We find no evidence for recent hybridization. Instead the data reveal admixture events that occurred 257–879 generations ago in northern S. haematobium populations. Fifteen introgressed S. bovis genes are approaching fixation in northern S. haematobium with four genes potentially driving adaptation. Further, we identify 19 regions that are resistant to introgression; these are enriched on the sex chromosomes. These results (i) suggest strong barriers to gene flow between these species, (ii) indicate that hybridization may be less common than currently envisaged, but (iii) reveal profound genomic consequences of rare interspecific hybridization between schistosomes of medical and veterinary importance.

Suggested Citation

  • Roy N. Platt II & Egie E. Enabulele & Ehizogie Adeyemi & Marian O. Agbugui & Oluwaremilekun G. Ajakaye & Ebube C. Amaechi & Chika P. Ejikeugwu & Christopher Igbeneghu & Victor S. Njom & Precious Dlami, 2025. "Genomic data reveal a north-south split and introgression history of blood fluke populations across Africa," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-14, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-58543-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58543-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58543-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-58543-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Olivier Rey & Eve Toulza & Cristian Chaparro & Jean-François Allienne & Julien Kincaid-Smith & Eglantine Mathieu-Begné & Fiona Allan & David Rollinson & Bonnie L Webster & Jérôme Boissier, 2021. "Diverging patterns of introgression from Schistosoma bovis across S. haematobium African lineages," PLOS Pathogens, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(2), pages 1-20, February.
    2. Pardis C. Sabeti & Patrick Varilly & Ben Fry & Jason Lohmueller & Elizabeth Hostetter & Chris Cotsapas & Xiaohui Xie & Elizabeth H. Byrne & Steven A. McCarroll & Rachelle Gaudet & Stephen F. Schaffner, 2007. "Genome-wide detection and characterization of positive selection in human populations," Nature, Nature, vol. 449(7164), pages 913-918, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mohammad Hossein Olyaee & Alireza Khanteymoori & Khosrow Khalifeh, 2020. "A chaotic viewpoint-based approach to solve haplotype assembly using hypergraph model," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(10), pages 1-19, October.
    2. Pol Solé-Navais & Julius Juodakis & Karin Ytterberg & Xiaoping Wu & Jonathan P. Bradfield & Marc Vaudel & Abigail L. LaBella & Øyvind Helgeland & Christopher Flatley & Frank Geller & Moshe Finel & Men, 2024. "Genome-wide analyses of neonatal jaundice reveal a marked departure from adult bilirubin metabolism," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Liye Zhang & Neahga Leonard & Rick Passaro & Mai Sy Luan & Pham Tuyen & Le Thi Ngoc Han & Nguyen Huy Cam & Larry Vogelnest & Michael Lynch & Amanda E. Fine & Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga & Nguyen Long & Benja, 2024. "Genomic adaptation to small population size and saltwater consumption in the critically endangered Cat Ba langur," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    4. Yichen Zheng & Thomas Wiehe, 2019. "Adaptation in structured populations and fuzzy boundaries between hard and soft sweeps," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-32, November.
    5. Ran Tian & Yaolei Zhang & Hui Kang & Fan Zhang & Zhihong Jin & Jiahao Wang & Peijun Zhang & Xuming Zhou & Janet M. Lanyon & Helen L. Sneath & Lucy Woolford & Guangyi Fan & Songhai Li & Inge Seim, 2024. "Sirenian genomes illuminate the evolution of fully aquatic species within the mammalian superorder afrotheria," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-19, December.
    6. Kirk E Lohmueller & Anders Albrechtsen & Yingrui Li & Su Yeon Kim & Thorfinn Korneliussen & Nicolas Vinckenbosch & Geng Tian & Emilia Huerta-Sanchez & Alison F Feder & Niels Grarup & Torben Jørgensen , 2011. "Natural Selection Affects Multiple Aspects of Genetic Variation at Putatively Neutral Sites across the Human Genome," PLOS Genetics, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(10), pages 1-15, October.
    7. Chen, Hua & Hey, Jody & Slatkin, Montgomery, 2015. "A hidden Markov model for investigating recent positive selection through haplotype structure," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 18-30.
    8. Michael DeGiorgio & Zachary A Szpiech, 2022. "A spatially aware likelihood test to detect sweeps from haplotype distributions," PLOS Genetics, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(4), pages 1-37, April.
    9. Xiao Zhang & Mark Blaxter & Jonathan M. D. Wood & Alan Tracey & Shane McCarthy & Peter Thorpe & Jack G. Rayner & Shangzhe Zhang & Kirstin L. Sikkink & Susan L. Balenger & Nathan W. Bailey, 2024. "Temporal genomics in Hawaiian crickets reveals compensatory intragenomic coadaptation during adaptive evolution," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-19, December.
    10. Lauren A. Choate & Gilad Barshad & Pierce W. McMahon & Iskander Said & Edward J. Rice & Paul R. Munn & James J. Lewis & Charles G. Danko, 2021. "Multiple stages of evolutionary change in anthrax toxin receptor expression in humans," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.
    11. Natsuhiko Kumasaka & Yusuke Nakamura & Naoyuki Kamatani, 2010. "The Textile Plot: A New Linkage Disequilibrium Display of Multiple-Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Genotype Data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(4), pages 1-12, April.
    12. Gabrielle C. Ngwana-Joseph & Jody E. Phelan & Emilia Manko & Jamille G. Dombrowski & Simone Silva Santos & Martha Suarez-Mutis & Gabriel Vélez-Tobón & Alberto Tobón Castaño & Ricardo Luiz Dantas Macha, 2024. "Genomic analysis of global Plasmodium vivax populations reveals insights into the evolution of drug resistance," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    13. Hyeongmin Kim & Ki Duk Song & Hyeon Jeong Kim & WonCheoul Park & Jaemin Kim & Taeheon Lee & Dong-Hyun Shin & Woori Kwak & Young-jun Kwon & Samsun Sung & Sunjin Moon & Kyung-Tai Lee & Namshin Kim & Joo, 2015. "Exploring the Genetic Signature of Body Size in Yucatan Miniature Pig," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(4), pages 1-16, April.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-58543-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.