title: Genetic variation in Opisthorchis viverrini (Trematoda: Opisthorchiidae) from northeast Thailand and Laos PDR based on random amplified polymorphic DNA analyses.
abstract: Genetic variation in Opisthorchis viverrini adults originating from different locations in northeast Thailand and Laos, People's Democratic Republic (PDR), was examined using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses. In an initial analysis, the genomic DNA of one fluke from each of ten localities was amplified using 15 random primers (10-mers); however, genetic variation among O. viverrini specimens was detected reliably for only four primers. A more detailed RAPD analysis using these four primers was conducted on ten individuals from nine localities. Considerable genetic variation was detected among O. viverrini from different geographical areas and among some individuals from the same collecting locality. Comparison of the RAPD profiles revealed that O. viverrini adults from Laos PDR were genetically distinct from those from northeast Thailand. The taxonomic significance of this finding needs to be explored in more detail. The RAPD markers established in the present study provide opportunities to examine the biology and epidemiology of O. viverrini and fish-borne trematodes within the region. Additionally, application of these markers in such studies could have important implications in relation to the prevalence of cholangiocarcinoma in different regions of Asia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand. paib_sit@kku.ac.th
authors.forename: Paiboon
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sithithaworn
authors.forename: Chadaporn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nuchjungreed
authors.forename: Tuanchai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Srisawangwong
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: Trevor N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Petney
authors.forename: Neil B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Chilton
authors.forename: Ross H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Andrews
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014644:Genetic Variation; D007812:Laos; D009891:Opisthorchis / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D013785:Thailand