Abstract
A novel direct PCR assay for the detection of Dirofilaria spp. from EDTA blood, Knott test, FTA cards, adult filarial worms, skin nodules and Dirofilaria spp.-infected mosquitoes was tested. Larval and adult DNA of Dirofilaria spp. from FTA cards, from the mosquito vector and from worm fragments without prior DNA extraction was successfully obtained. As little as 3.11 larvae/100 μl blood on FTA cards could be detected. Thus, direct PCR is capable of directly detecting first larval stages in the blood, third larval stages in the mosquito vector and pieces of mature stages of Dirofilaria spp. The assay is a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective alternative to standard PCR.
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Acknowledgments
We are thankful to Walpurga Wille-Piazzai for the technical support. We are also grateful to Dr. Ronald Kaminsky from the Novartis Centre de Recherche, Saint-Aubin, Switzerland for providing the D. immitis-infected A. aegypti mosquitoes.
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Silbermayr, K., Eigner, B., Duscher, G.G. et al. The detection of different Dirofilaria species using direct PCR technique. Parasitol Res 113, 513–516 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-013-3682-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-013-3682-y