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Molecular diagnosis of natural fasciolosis by DNA detection in sheep faeces

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Abstract

Fasciolosis is an important parasitic zoonosis considered the most important helminth infection of ruminants in tropical countries. The aim of this study was to develop a PCR assay for the sensitive and specific detection of F. hepatica in formalin preserved sheep faeces. A 405-bp fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene of F. hepatica was amplified from stool samples of infected sheep. The PCR assay showed a detection limit of 20 pg of F. hepatica DNA. No cross-reactions were observed with samples containing coccidian oocysts or gastrointestinal nematodes eggs. Our PCR technique showed to be effective for specific detection of F. hepatica infections in sheep.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas - ANLIS “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán”, Avenida Vélez Sarsfield 563, CP 1281, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Silvana Carnevale & María Laura Pantano

  2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Avenida Rivadavia 1917, CP 1033, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Silvana Carnevale

  3. Instituto de Microbiología y Parasitología Médica (IMPaM), UBA-CONICET, Paraguay 2155 piso 13, CP 1121, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Laura Kamenetzky

  4. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Maestro Quiroga 1ra. Cuadra, CP 4700, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina

    Jorge Bruno Malandrini & Claudia Cecilia Soria

  5. Hospital Municipal de Infecciosas “Dr. Francisco Javier Muñiz”, Uspallata 2272, CP 1282, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jorge Néstor Velásquez

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  1. Silvana Carnevale
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  2. María Laura Pantano
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  3. Laura Kamenetzky
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  4. Jorge Bruno Malandrini
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Correspondence to Silvana Carnevale.

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Carnevale, S., Pantano, M.L., Kamenetzky, L. et al. Molecular diagnosis of natural fasciolosis by DNA detection in sheep faeces. Acta Parasit. 60, 211–217 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2015-0030

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