Taenia saginata is a globally distributed tapeworm responsible for human taeniasis due to the ingestion of raw or undercooked beef. T. saginata is present in several Asian countries, including China, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam, but little is known about its genetic variation. Studying the tapeworm's phylogeographic patterns is crucial to better understanding their association with the geographic distribution of taeniasis/cysticercosis in human populations. In the present study, 38 specimens of this putative species were collected in central regions of Vietnam and analysed using the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI) as a molecular marker to assess the correct species identification and investigate the level of genetic variation at different geographic scales. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses were carried out on a dataset that included COI sequences from Vietnamese specimens and from all conspecifics available in GenBank to date. The results showed that the collected Vietnamese specimens belonged to the species T. saginata. In Southeast Asia, signs of a possible founder effect were discovered, with the most common haplotypes frequent and present in many countries, except Lao PDR, which shares its most common haplotype only with individuals from Thailand. Remarkably, a unique taxonomic entity was found worldwide, even though the available COI sequences of T. saginata belonging to non-Asiatic countries are, at present, limited. Therefore, future studies including more COI sequences from a higher number of countries and the use of a combined molecular approach with multiple genetic markers would be useful to provide deeper insight into the global genetic variation of this species.
Keywords: Asia; Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I; Taenia spp.; beef tapeworm; cestodes.