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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

First Report of Isolapotamon sp. as a Potential Intermediate Host of Paragonimus westermani in Davao Oriental, Philippines

by
Diadem R. Ricarte
1,
Joshua M. Cambronero
1,
Carmela H. Lorico
1,
Herbert J. Santos
2,
Nestor S. Arce, Jr.
3,4 and
Aleyla E. de Cadiz
1,5,*
1
Philippine Genome Center Mindanao, University of the Philippines Mindanao, Davao City 8000, Philippines
2
Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
3
College of Medicine, Jose Maria College Foundation, Inc., Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway, Davao City 8000, Philippines
4
Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
5
Department of Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies, College of Science and Mathematics, University of the Philippines Mindanao, Davao City 8000, Philippines
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Parasitologia 2025, 5(4), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia5040067
Submission received: 21 August 2025 / Revised: 11 November 2025 / Accepted: 1 December 2025 / Published: 11 December 2025
Versions Notes

Abstract

Paragonimus westermani is a food-borne zoonotic trematode transmitted to humans through the consumption of undercooked crustaceans. Freshwater crabs act as the second intermediate host for the encysted metacercariae stage. However, accurate identification of intermediate hosts remains a challenge. Here, we aimed to detect and identify P. westermani in randomly collected freshwater crabs and determine the species of infected crabs in Davao Oriental through molecular methods. Specifically, Sanger and next-generation sequencing were conducted for species identification through BLASTn, followed by phylogenetic analyses to understand geographic and taxonomic relationships. Results showed P. westermani DNA was detected in five out of eleven crab samples and these sequences were closely grouped to the Philippine reference sequence. Through a similar approach, the infected crabs showed high sequence similarity and formed tight clustering to Isolapotamon sp. Overall, the results provided evidence that P. westermani DNA was detected in Isolapotamon sp., a genus endemic to Mindanao, and can be a potential intermediate host. This expands our current understanding of transmission ecology beyond the only known intermediate host in the Philippines, Sundathelphusa philippina.
Keywords: next-generation sequencing; Sanger sequencing; freshwater crabs; food-borne zoonotic trematode; phylogenetic analysis; paragonimiasis next-generation sequencing; Sanger sequencing; freshwater crabs; food-borne zoonotic trematode; phylogenetic analysis; paragonimiasis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ricarte, D.R.; Cambronero, J.M.; Lorico, C.H.; Santos, H.J.; Arce, N.S., Jr.; de Cadiz, A.E. First Report of Isolapotamon sp. as a Potential Intermediate Host of Paragonimus westermani in Davao Oriental, Philippines. Parasitologia 2025, 5, 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia5040067

AMA Style

Ricarte DR, Cambronero JM, Lorico CH, Santos HJ, Arce NS Jr., de Cadiz AE. First Report of Isolapotamon sp. as a Potential Intermediate Host of Paragonimus westermani in Davao Oriental, Philippines. Parasitologia. 2025; 5(4):67. https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia5040067

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ricarte, Diadem R., Joshua M. Cambronero, Carmela H. Lorico, Herbert J. Santos, Nestor S. Arce, Jr., and Aleyla E. de Cadiz. 2025. "First Report of Isolapotamon sp. as a Potential Intermediate Host of Paragonimus westermani in Davao Oriental, Philippines" Parasitologia 5, no. 4: 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia5040067

APA Style

Ricarte, D. R., Cambronero, J. M., Lorico, C. H., Santos, H. J., Arce, N. S., Jr., & de Cadiz, A. E. (2025). First Report of Isolapotamon sp. as a Potential Intermediate Host of Paragonimus westermani in Davao Oriental, Philippines. Parasitologia, 5(4), 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia5040067

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