title: Ultrastructural and phylogenetic studies on Blastocystis isolates from cockroaches.
abstract: Four Blastocystis isolates from cockroaches were established and these isolates were morphologically confirmed as Blastocystis organisms by light and/or electron microscopy. As these isolates were morphologically indistinguishable from Blastocystis isolated from other animals, phylogenetic analyses were conducted using their small subunit ribosomal RNA genes. A analyses of these sequences with previously reported ones that had been classified into nine Blastocystis clades indicated the presence of a new clade that comprised only Blastocystis organisms from cockroaches (clade X). A clade comprised of amphibian and reptilian Blastocystis organisms (clade IX) was located at the basal position of the Blastocystis tree together with the common ancestor of Proteromonas and Protoopalina, clade X emerged after the divergences of these two basal clades and its branching position was clearly supported by bootstrap analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Nara Women's University, Kitauoya-Nishimachi, Nara 630-8506, Japan. h.yoshikawa@cc.nara-wu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hisao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: Zhiliang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Howe
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Ng
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Geok-Choo
authors.forename: Kevin S W
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016844:Blastocystis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000469:parasitology*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal