Comparative RAPD-PCR analysis of lungworms (Dictyocaulidae) from fallow deer, cattle, sheep, and horses.

This research analyses the genetic differences between different types of lungworms found in various animals like fallow deer, cattle, sheep, and horses. The findings suggest that lungworms from fallow deer, previously thought to be an isolate of a different species, might actually belong to a separate species.

Methods and Materials

• The research used genomic DNA which was extracted from four species of lungworms: D. viviparus, D. eckerti, D. filaria and D. arnfieldi.
• A method called random amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) was used to compare the isolated genome sequences.

Objective

• The objective was to gather information to determine if lungworms from fallow deer belong to a separate species, D. eckerti, or if they should be classified as an isolate of D. viviparus, which is commonly found in wild ruminants.

Results

• The electrophoresed PCR products of these genomes were compared and studied for their banding patterns, which depict genetic differences.
• The findings revealed a 93.4% similarity coefficient between two D. viviparus isolates.
• The comparison of D. viviparus, D. eckerti, D. filaria and D. arnfieldi resulted in a similarity coefficient ranging from 12% to 32%.

Conclusion

• In conclusion, the largest similarity found was 32% between D. eckerti and D. viviparus. The substantial intraspecies similarity of 93.4% strongly suggests that D. eckerti most likely constitutes a separate species, and is not an isolate of D. viviparus in wild ruminants, as was previously thought.