title: Specific polymerase chain reaction for differential diagnosis of Dirofilaria immitis and Dipetalonema reconditum using primers derived from internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2).
abstract: Both Dirofilaria immiti and Dipetalonema reconditum may be found in blood of infected dogs but it is not easy to distinguish D. immitis from D. reconditum in morphology. We cloned and sequenced the contiguous internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, of these two different parasites and published on GenBank as AF217800 for D. immiti and AF217801 for D. reconditum in this study. We designed two pairs of specific primers derived from ITS2 being used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The amplicons of ITS2 from D. immiti and D. reconditum are 302 and 348bp, respectively. Moreover, the limitation for amplifying ITS2 gene using this PCR demonstrated that 1 x 10(-2) microfilaria of each species of parasite smashed or even with mixed samples could be detected and the PCR products were predicted as the same as that described above. Thus, D. immiti and D. reconditum could be differentially diagnosed by this specific PCR. Seventeen clinical cases were evaluated and all of them were correctly identified. In this study, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 of D. immiti or D. reconditum were the first time sequenced and analyzed. No significant similarity of ITS1 and ITS2 between D. immiti and D. reconditum could be observed.
authors.affiliation: Center of General Education, National Taipei College of Nursing, No. 365 Ming-Te Road, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ping-Her
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Mar
authors.forename: I-Chen
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Gan-Nan
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Andrew Chang-Young
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Fei
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004153:Dipetalonema / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004154:Dipetalonema Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004183:Dirofilaria immitis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004184:Dirofilariasis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D018509:DNA, Helminth; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer