title: Identification of I. ricinus, I. persulcatus and I. trianguliceps species by multiplex PCR.
abstract: Correct identification of tick species is an essential requirement for any scientific study engaged in tick-associated research. However, morphological identification can lead to misinterpretations, especially when dealing with vector-host research and sub-adult, engorged or damaged specimens. To overcome this limitation, we developed a novel assay to discriminate between Ixodes ricinus, I. persulcatus and I. trianguliceps species collected from rodents or vegetation, using the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) as a genetic marker. This single tube multiplex PCR allows specific amplification of targeted species and produces rapid and accurate results. The specificity was confirmed by sequencing the ITS2 and partial 16S rRNA genes from ticks collected from Estonia, Latvia, Sweden and Russia. We tested the assay in a large-scale experiment, and a total of 1284 ticks removed from rodents and shrews were successfully identified at species level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, National Institute for Health Development, Tallinn, Estonia; Department of Gene Technology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia; Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Zoonotic Science Center (ZSC), Uppsala University, Sweden. Electronic address: kairi.varv@tai.ee.
authors.forename: Kairi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Värv
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, National Institute for Health Development, Tallinn, Estonia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ivanova
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, National Institute for Health Development, Tallinn, Estonia.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Jaanus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Remm
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Kertu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jaik
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tikunova
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rar
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Zoonotic Science Center (ZSC), Uppsala University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Åke
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Lundkvist
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, National Institute for Health Development, Tallinn, Estonia; Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Zoonotic Science Center (ZSC), Uppsala University, Sweden; Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation; University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Golovljova
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D005061:Europe, Eastern; D005819:Genetic Markers; D018884:Ixodes / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013045:Species Specificity; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D005819:Genetic Markers
keywords: I. persulcatus; I. ricinus; I. trianguliceps; ITS2; Species identification