title: The Simulium damnosum species complex: phylogenetic analysis and molecular identification based upon mitochondrially encoded gene sequences.
abstract: The DNA sequence of portions of the 16s rRNA and the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) genes were used to determine phylogenetic relationships in the Simulium damnosum s.l. species complex. Results suggested that at least two major clades existed in the S. damnosum species complex, and that members of the S. damnosum s.l. species complex were not closely related to North American Simulium species. The sequence variability of the ND4 gene was exploited to develop a method to distinguish the sibling species of the S. damnosum s.l. species complex, based on directed heteroduplex analysis of PCR products derived from the ND4 gene. This method was capable of classifying the six sibling species into at least five groups.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geographic Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Toè
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Back
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pruess
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Unnasch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D017344:Genes, Insect; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009245:NADH Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012843:Simuliidae / Q000145:classification* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D004247:DNA; D009245:NADH Dehydrogenase