title: Isolation of Onchocerca lupi in Dogs and Black Flies, California, USA.
abstract: In southern California, ocular infections caused by Onchocerca lupi were diagnosed in 3 dogs (1 in 2006, 2 in 2012). The infectious agent was confirmed through morphologic analysis of fixed parasites in tissues and by PCR and sequencing of amplicons derived from 2 mitochondrially encoded genes and 1 nuclear-encoded gene. A nested PCR based on the sequence of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene of the parasite was developed and used to screen Simulium black flies collected from southern California for O. lupi DNA. Six (2.8%; 95% CI 0.6%-5.0%) of 213 black flies contained O. lupi DNA. Partial mitochondrial16S rRNA gene sequences from the infected flies matched sequences derived from black fly larvae cytotaxonomically identified as Simulium tribulatum. These data implicate S. tribulatum flies as a putative vector for O. lupi in southern California.
authors.forename: Hassan K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Shanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bolcen
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kubofcik
authors.forename: Thomas B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Nutman
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Eberhard
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.forename: Joseph Wakoli
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wekesa
authors.forename: Gimena
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ruedas
authors.forename: Kimberly J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dubielzig
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Lombaert
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: Jamie J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Schorling
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Unnasch
authors.forename: Emily S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Beeler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009854:Onchocerca / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000662:veterinary*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012843:Simuliidae / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D021901:DNA, Intergenic
keywords: California; Onchocerca lupi; United States; black flies; dogs; filariasis; parasites; potcast; zoonoses