An electrophoretic tool for the genetic characterisation and delineation of lungworms.
In the present study, PCR-based single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was applied to the genetic characterisation of Dictyocaulus from red deer from New Zealand and to its differentiation from species of lungworm from cattle and other hosts. Based on SSCP profiles, Dictyocaulus individuals from red deer from different geographical localities in New Zealand could be readily distinguished from those representing other lungworms examined, irrespective of low-level sequence variability in the ITS-2 (0.4-2.6%) detectable among individuals. The ITS-2 of Dictyocaulus from red deer differed in sequence by approximately 7-35% from congeners from other cervid hosts, demonstrating that this parasite is genetically distinct from other species of Dictyocaulus for which ITS-2 sequence data are presently available. The results emphasize the need for a large-scale molecular systematic study of Dictyocaulus specimens from various species of cervid and other ruminant hosts and the usefulness of mutation scanning for taxonomic, epidemiological and population genetic investigations.
Johnson
Marion
M
Department of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia.
Abs El-Osta
Youssef G
YG
Hu
Min
M
Gasser
Robin B
RB
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D021901:DNA, Intergenic / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D004021:Dictyocaulus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel / Q000379:methods*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational
D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer