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Genetic relationships between wild boar populations in the southern regions of Iran still remain unclear. Therefore in the present study our aim was filling this gap and providing preliminary knowledge about the phylogenetic status of Iranian wild boar based on two datasets of the mtDNA control region (the 402-bp and 605-bp segments as the first and second datasets, respectively). Altogether 1063 and 490 sequences were used in the shorter and longer sequences, respectively (29 own samples and 1034 and 461 Genbank sequences from previous studies in the first and second datasets, respectively). Our findings revealed that the wild boars living in Southern Iran belong to the previously described three clades: Asian, Near Eastern 1 (NE1) and Near Eastern 2 (NE2) clades. The NE1 and NE2 clades sympatrically occupy a wide range across the southeast to southwest of Iran, whereas the Asian clade is restricted to a small area in the southeastern part of Iran. Our results propose the existence of a contact zone between the Near Eastern clades and the Asian clade in the studied area. The fixation index ( F ST ) and the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) demonstrated significant genetic structure among the identified clades. Some identified haplotypes have a wide distribution, which suggests that they are probably ancestral haplotypes or are likely to be a result of recent population expansion. Overall, current research demonstrates that Iranian wild boars have an important phylogenetic position among the others in the world. In other words, Iran is a very important region for addressing some of the topical questions about phylogenetic relationships among the Eurasian wild boar clades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Two mitochondrial DNA clades have been described in Anopheles funestus populations from southern Africa. Clade I is common across the continent while clade II is known only from Mozambique and Madagascar. The specific biological status of these clades is at present unknown. We investigated the possible role that each clade might play in the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum and the insecticide resistance status of An. funestus from Zimbabwe and Zambia. Methods Mosquitoes were collected inside houses from Nchelenge District, Zambia and Honde Valley, Zimbabwe in 2013 and 2014. WHO susceptibility tests, synergist assays and resistance intensity tests were conducted on wild females and progeny of wild females. ELISA was used to detect Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein. Specimens were identified to species and mtDNA clades using standard molecular methods. Results The Zimbabwean samples were all clade I while the Zambian population comprised 80% clade I and 20% clade II in both years of collection. ELISA tests gave an overall infection rate of 2.3% and 2.1% in 2013, and 3.5% and 9.2% in 2014 for Zimbabwe and Zambia respectively. No significant difference was observed between the clades. All populations were resistant to pyrethroids and carbamates but susceptible to organochlorines and organophosphates. Synergist assays indicated that pyrethroid resistance is mediated by cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases. Resistance intensity tests showed high survival rates after 8-hrs continuous exposure to pyrethroids but exposure to bendiocarb gave the same results as the susceptible control. Conclusions This is the first record of An. funestus mtDNA clade II occurring in Zambia. No evidence was found to suggest that the clades are markers of biologically separate populations. The ability of An. funestus to withstand prolonged exposure to pyrethroids has serious implications for the use of these insecticides, either through LLINs or IRS, in southern Africa in general and resistance management strategies should be urgently implemented.

Background Two mitochondrial DNA clades have been described in Anopheles funestus populations from southern Africa. Clade I is common across the continent while clade II is known only from Mozambique and Madagascar. The specific biological status of these clades is at present unknown. We investigated the possible role that each clade might play in the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum and the insecticide resistance status of An. funestus from Zimbabwe and Zambia. Methods Mosquitoes were collected inside houses from Nchelenge District, Zambia and Honde Valley, Zimbabwe in 2013 and 2014. WHO susceptibility tests, synergist assays and resistance intensity tests were conducted on wild females and progeny of wild females. ELISA was used to detect Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein. Specimens were identified to species and mtDNA clades using standard molecular methods. Results The Zimbabwean samples were all clade I while the Zambian population comprised 80% clade I and 20% clade II in both years of collection. ELISA tests gave an overall infection rate of 2.3% and 2.1% in 2013, and 3.5% and 9.2% in 2014 for Zimbabwe and Zambia respectively. No significant difference was observed between the clades. All populations were resistant to pyrethroids and carbamates but susceptible to organochlorines and organophosphates. Synergist assays indicated that pyrethroid resistance is mediated by cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases. Resistance intensity tests showed high survival rates after 8-hrs continuous exposure to pyrethroids but exposure to bendiocarb gave the same results as the susceptible control. Conclusions This is the first record of An. funestus mtDNA clade II occurring in Zambia. No evidence was found to suggest that the clades are markers of biologically separate populations. The ability of An. funestus to withstand prolonged exposure to pyrethroids has serious implications for the use of these insecticides, either through LLINs or IRS, in southern Africa in general and resistance management strategies should be urgently implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]