Abstract
The genus Taenia includes several species of veterinary and public health importance, but diagnosis of the etiological agent in definitive and intermediate hosts often relies on labor intensive and few specific morphometric criteria, especially in immature worms and underdeveloped metacestodes. In the present study, a multiplex PCR, based on five primers targeting the 18S rDNA and ITS2 sequences, produced a species-specific banding patterns for a range of Taenia spp. Species typing by the multiplex PCR was compared to morphological identification and sequencing of cox1 and/or 12S rDNA genes. As compared to sequencing, the multiplex PCR identified 31 of 32 Taenia metacestodes from rodents, whereas only 14 cysts were specifically identified by morphology. Likewise, the multiplex PCR identified 108 of 130 adult worms, while only 57 were identified to species by morphology. The tested multiplex PCR system may potentially be used for studies of Taenia spp. transmitted between rodents and carnivores.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Antti Lavikainen and the Beringian Coevolution Project and Prof. Peter Deplazes for providing DNA of several Taenia specimens and Dr. Peter Nejsum for reviewing the manuscript. Also, we would like to thank Mrs. Charlotte Fischer for her assistance in collecting samples and lab analysis. This project is part of a PhD scholarship funded by the Faculty of Life Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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All authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Al-Sabi, M.N.S., Kapel, C.M.O. Multiplex PCR identification of Taenia spp. in rodents and carnivores. Parasitol Res 109, 1293–1298 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2373-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2373-9