title: Molecular detection of Capillaria aerophila, an agent of canine and feline pulmonary capillariosis.
abstract: Capillaria aerophila, a trichuroid nematode causing pulmonary infections in wild and domestic carnivores, is occasionally and potentially poorly recognized in infections of humans due to clinicopathological mimicry and a lack of accurate, robust laboratory diagnostics. The present work evaluated the efficiency of a DNA-based assay amplifying a partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene of C. aerophila in the diagnosis of lung capillariosis. Fecal samples from 34 dogs and 10 cats positive at parasitological examination for C. aerophila and other endoparasites (i.e., other lungworms, whipworms, roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and/or coccidia) and from 44 animals negative for C. aerophila but positive for other endoparasites were molecularly examined. Of the 44 samples positive for C. aerophila at copromicroscopy, 43 scored positive (i.e., 33/34 dogs and 10/10 cats) in seminested PCR, resulting in a sensitivity of 97 to 100%. Samples that were copromicroscopy negative for C. aerophila although positive for other endoparasites never produced a PCR product or nonspecific amplicons. The specific PCR amplification of C. aerophila (i.e., specificity of 100%) was confirmed by a nucleotide sequence analysis of the cox1 amplicons. The potential implications of the molecular diagnosis of lung capillariosis are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Cesare
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castagna
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Otranto
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meloni
authors.forename: Piermarino
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Milillo
authors.forename: Maria Stefania
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Latrofa
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Paoletti
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bartolini
authors.forename: Donato
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Traversa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002195:Capillaria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D017189:Enoplida Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006801:Humans; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010274:Parasitology / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D018509:DNA, Helminth; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV