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Molecular phylogenetic studies on Theileria spp. isolates (China) based on small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences

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Abstract

Six Theileria spp. from cattle, buffalo and black goat were identified in the Hubei province of China. In order to study the taxonomic status of these parasites, phylogenetic analysis of 18S rRNA genes were carried out. The 18S rRNA genes from each isolate were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and the approximate 1.75 kb products were cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of these gene sequences revealed that the five parasites from buffalo and cattle belonged to the Theileria sergenti/buffeli/orientalis group. The parasite from the Chinese goat (Macheng-Hubei, DQ286802) was closely related to Theileria luwenshuni isolated from sheep in the north of China. This represent the first report on the use of molecular phylogeny to classify Theileria spp. obtained in the Hubei province, showing that Theileria spp. from ruminants found in Hubei province belongs to the benign group of Theileria spp.

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Acknowledgments

This work was in part supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the grant No. is 30671575 and the program for new century excellent talent (NCET06-0668) from Ministry of Education, P.R. of China. Many thanks for the help from Integrated Consortium on Ticks and Tick-borne Disease (ICTTD3) network financed by the European Union.

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Correspondence to Junlong L. Zhao.

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Liu, Q., Zhou, Y.Q., He, G.S. et al. Molecular phylogenetic studies on Theileria spp. isolates (China) based on small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences. Trop Anim Health Prod 42, 109–114 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-009-9392-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-009-9392-x

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