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Specific and genotypic identification of Cryptosporidium from a broad range of host species by nonisotopic SSCP analysis of nuclear ribosomal DNA
Author(s) -
Jex Aaron R.,
Ryan Una M.,
Ng Josephine,
Campbell Bronwyn E.,
Xiao Lihua,
Stevens Melita,
Gasser Robin B.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/elps.200600772
Subject(s) - biology , cryptosporidium , genotype , ribosomal dna , genetics , ribosomal rna , polymerase chain reaction , genetic marker , dna sequencing , population , single strand conformation polymorphism , dna , phylogenetics , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , demography , sociology , feces
The accurate identification of Cryptosporidium (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) species and genotypes is central to the understanding of the transmission and to the diagnosis and control of cryptosporidiosis. In this study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of nonisotopic SSCP analysis of a ∼300 bp region of the small subunit (pSSU) of ribosomal DNA for the specific identification of and delineation among 18 different Cryptosporidium species and genotypes from a wide range of hosts. This mutation scanning approach allowed the rapid and reliable differentiation between species/genotypes differing by as little as 1.3% in the pSSU sequence, with the capacity to detect point mutations. The present findings confirm the usefulness of this tool for the rapid genetic screening of Cryptosporidium samples from any host species, providing a foundation for detailed systematic, epidemiological and ecological studies. Although applied herein to pSSU, this low cost approach should be applicable to a wide range of genetic loci for population genetic investigations of Cryptosporidium .