title: Preliminary studies investigating the occurrence of Biomphalaria cousini in Brazil.
abstract: Specific genetic profiles of Brazilian Biomphalaria species were previously standardized by molecular taxonomy through the analysis of restriction fragments, which were generated by digesting the internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA with the DdeI endonuclease. Biomphalaria amazonica displayed three distinct profiles. To investigate these distinct profiles, the same molecular technique, polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism, was used with different endonucleases. In addition, morphological data were also used to compare B. amazonica specimens that were collected from Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia. The morphological characters of Bolivian molluscs were similar to B. amazonica, displayed a molecular profile of five restriction fragments and morphological data, whereas the Colombian mollusc population showed morphological characters similar to Biomphalaria cousini and a molecular profile of three restriction fragments, similar to B. cousini. The Brazilian specimens showed the B. amazonica and B. cousini molecular profiles as well as a third profile, which resembled a combination of the Colombian and Bolivian molecular profiles.
authors: Laboratório de Helmintologia e Malacologia Médica, Instituto de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil. caldeira@cpqrr.fiocruz.br
authors: Roberta Lima
authors: RL
authors: Caldeira
authors: Tatiana Maria
authors: TM
authors: Teodoro
authors: Maria Flávia Belfort
authors: MF
authors: Gomes
authors: Omar dos Santos
authors: Odos S
authors: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001700:Biomphalaria / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D001838:Bolivia; D001938:Brazil; D003105:Colombia; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics*; D004720:Endonucleases / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D004720:Endonucleases