Phylogenetic characterization of Cochroaches (Insecta: Blattaria) in Türkiye and determination of their vector potential for medically important parasites

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the phylogenetic characters of the cockroaches in the Kayseri region for mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mt-COI), mt-COII, and internal transcribed spacer-2 (ITS-2) gene regions. It was also aimed to determine their mechanical transmission of medically important parasites. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was performed by using mt-COI, mt-COII, and ITS-2 DNA gene regions to identify cockroach species (n=220) collected from different regions. Differentiation of cockroach species was based on RFLP models using two restriction enzymes: AvaI and EciI. For phylogenetic analysis, mt-COI, mt-COII, and ITS-2 DNA barcode regions were amplified with standard primers. The obtained amplicons were purified and sequenced using the PCR primers. According to PCR-RFLP, the cockroach species were identified as Blattella germanica (n=105), Blatta orientalis (n=86), and Periplaneta americana (n=29). A total of 13 haplotypes were detected and maximum likelihood (ML) analyses revealed that the sequences of all three species showed a monophyletic structure for the three gene regions. The cockroaches were examined for the presence of parasites. It was found that of the 58 parasitic forms identified, 46 (79.3%) belonged to helminth species and 12 (20.7%) to protozoan species. The results showed that B. germanica (58.6%) had the highest prevalence, followed by Bl. orientalis (32.8%) and P. americana (8.6%). The results of the study not only contribute to the molecular epidemiology of cockroaches but also confirm their important role as mechanical vectors of protozoan and helminth parasites.