GENETIC VARIATION WITHIN A SPECIES OF PARASITIC NEMATODE, SKRJABINGYLUS CHITWOODORUM, IN SKUNKS

Carnivores in the families Mustelidae and Mephitidae are prime targets for the nematode genus Skrjabingylus. A high prevalence of Skrjabingylus chitwoodorum has been observed in the striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis. Genetic barcoding studies of other parasitic nematodes have successfully used the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial gene to analyze genetic divergence. We tested the hypothesis that low population structuring occurs within the parasite species due to the high level of gene flow documented in M. mephitis. We extracted DNA from 39 samples of Skrjabingylus removed from the sinuses of M. mephitis and one from Spilogale putorius interrupta for amplification and sequencing of COI. Analysis of 492 base pairs confirmed the species as S. chitwoodorum and showed low genetic variation (1.0%) within Texas. Supporting our hypothesis, no obvious divergent lineages based on geographic location were recovered within the samples based on Maximum Likelihood analysis and median joining haplotype network analysis.