Molecular characterization of babesia bovis strains using PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the msa2-a/b genes.
The merozoite surface antigen-2 (msa-2) family of Babesia bovis is a group of variable genes that share conserved 5' and 3' ends and encode for membrane-anchored glycoproteins that have been postulated as vaccine candidates. In this work, we analyzed the sequences of three of these genes (msa-2a1, a2, and 2b) from two geographically distant strains and detected a certain degree of genotypic diversity that could be exploited to work out new molecular tools for the discrimination of B. bovis field samples. Here we describe a PCR restriction assay that was developed based on this observation and tested on several B. bovis strains and isolates. The results show a strain-specific band pattern in geographically distant isolates, indicating the presence of differentially located BspMI restriction sites. This approach provides a simple method for the differentiation of American B. bovis strains.
Wilkowsky
Silvina
S
Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Farber
M
M
Gil
G
G
Echaide
I
I
Mosqueda
J
J
Alcaraz
E
E
Suarez
C E
CE
Florin-Christensen
M
M
D000818:Animals; D016793:Babesia bovis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
D017931:DNA Primers