Genetic Similarity and Gene Flow in Freshwater Snail, Bulinus Globosus Populations from Selected Natural Habitats in Kano State (Nigeria)

The population genetic structure of Bulinus globosus, an important intermediate host snail for Schistosma haematobium, in Nigeria was studied using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique. The five primers amplified genomic DNA of B. globosus from three populations with one region and 999 permutations. With 79 loci, the % polymorphic bands for each primer across all population samples were 55.70% (River Karaye), 58.23% (River Bagwai) and 60.76% (River Kano). The mean heterozygosity was 0.175, 0.190 and 0.197 for snails caught in Karaye, Bagwai, and Kano respectively. The highest genetic distance (0.141) and identity (0.919) were observed between the populations of Bagwai, Kano, and Karaye and Bagwai. The variations within and among the snail populations were 76% and 4% respectively, while the UPGMA dendogram revealed no outliers. The gene pool of B. globosus was microgeographically fragmented.