Abstract
Twenty-four isolates of Tunga were collected from afflicted humans, dogs, cats, pigs and rats in Brazil. To investigate genetic diversity, a hypervariable section of mitochondrial 16S rDNA was amplified using PCR and subsequently sequenced. In order to compare results with another species of the genus Tunga, three isolates of the recently described Tunga trimamillata were also checked. Whereas eleven isolates (five from cats, three from dogs and three from humans) were of identical sequence, thirteen isolates collected from dogs, humans, pigs and rats showed differences in sequence up to 49%, so that the existence of one or more new species of Tunga may be presumed.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Prof. Dr. Trentini from the University of Bologna for sending us three specimens of Tunga trimamillata to be used and included comparatively. J.Heukelbach was supported from a travel grant by the DAAD/CAPES PROBRAL academic exchange program.
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Vobis, M., D’Haese, J., Mehlhorn, H. et al. Molecular biological investigations of Brazilian Tunga sp. isolates from man, dogs, cats, pigs and rats. Parasitol Res 96, 107–112 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-005-1320-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-005-1320-z