title: Use of rDNA polymorphism for identification of Heterophyidae infecting freshwater fishes.
abstract: Infections by trematodes are among the most common fish-borne zoonoses. Metacercariae of the Family Heterophyidae in marine and freshwater fishes are nonfastidious in their choice of definitive hosts, and therefore, cause infections in human and domestic animals. In the present study, species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were developed for identifying and differentiating the various species examined. Sequencing and aligning the 18S (SSU) rDNA revealed interspecific variation for which species-specific DNA oligonucleotides were designed and used for the identification of 6 heterophyid species recovered from piscivorous birds. The oligonucleotides were further used to evaluate the various stages (cercariae recovered from snails, metacercariae recovered from fish and adult trematodes) of the digeneans. By applying this method we elucidated for the first time the life cycle of Pygidiopsis genata. The phylogenetic interrelationship among the newly sequenced species of Heterophyidae is outlined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, PO Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel. rrd2001@med.cornell.edu
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dzikowski
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Poore
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Flowers
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Paperna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001717:Birds / Q000469:parasitology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017931:DNA Primers; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D005399:Fishes / Q000469:parasitology*; D005618:Fresh Water; D006578:Heterophyidae / Q000235:genetics*; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000235:genetics*; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012908:Snails / Q000469:parasitology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal