title: Evaluation of the polymerase chain reaction method for identifying members of the Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) complex in southern Africa.
abstract: Chromosomally and electrophoretically identified field samples of members of the Anopheles gambiae Giles complex from southern Africa and colony material were used to test the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method of identification. The samples included An. arabiensis Patton, An. quadriannulatus Theobald, and An. merus Donitz. Only one of the 217 specimens examined was disputed. Twenty specimens (9%) were reamplified because of the presence of multiple bands or lack of amplification after the first assay. Specimens of An. merus from this region displayed both the diagnostic An. merus PCR band as well as the An. quadriannulatus band, possibly because of interspecific hybridization or random variation within the population. This work extends the geographical range over which the PCR technique has been verified to southern Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Paskewitz
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coetzee
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hunt
mesh_terms: D000353:Africa, Southern; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004247:DNA