title: Patent and pre-patent detection of Echinococcus granulosus genotypes in the definitive host.
abstract: The detection of Echinococcus granulosus in dogs is important for epidemiological surveillance and evaluation of cystic hydatic disease control programs. We report the efficacy of two PCR-based methods to detect patent and pre-patent infection in dogs experimentally infected with E. granulosus. The detection is based on amplification of a fragment of a mitochondrial gene (Mit-PCR) and a DNA repetitive element (Rep-PCR) of E. granulosus. We tested the ability of both methods to detect several genotypes of the parasite. Both PCR methods could detect E. granulosus in pre-patent and patent periods, even when microscopical observation of eggs resulted negative in fecal samples. The Mit-PCR produced the same amplification pattern for all the parasite genotypes tested while the amplification patterns with the Rep-PCR differed among groups of strains. Fecal samples collected from dogs of an endemic area were diagnosed with more sensitivity than arecoline hydrobromide purgation. These molecular methods could be applied in the confirmation of coproantigen-positive fecal samples and to verify the success of control programs.
authors.affiliation: Departamentode Parasitología, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas, ANLIS Dr Carlos G. Malbrán, Av. Velez Sarsfield 563, 1281 Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. anaidich@anlis.gov.ar
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naidich
authors.forename: Donald P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: McManus
authors.forename: Sergio G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Canova
authors.forename: Ariana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
authors.forename: Wenbao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Eduardo A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Guarnera
authors.forename: Mara C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rosenzvit
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000032:analysis; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D048209:Echinococcus granulosus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015047:Zoonoses
chemical_list: D018509:DNA, Helminth; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial