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Simple, Filter‐based PCR Detection of Thelohania solenopsae (Microspora) in Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta)
Author(s) -
SNOWDEN KAREN F.,
LOGAN KATHLEEN S.,
VINSON S. BRADLEIGH
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of eukaryotic microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 1066-5234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2002.tb00226.x
Subject(s) - biology , fire ant , red imported fire ant , parasite hosting , microspora , microsporidia , dna extraction , microsporidiosis , polymerase chain reaction , zoology , spore , ecology , botany , hymenoptera , gene , pollen , stamen , microspore , world wide web , computer science , biochemistry
.Thelohania solenopsae is a microsporidian parasite that may serve as a biological control agent for the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta . A rapid, filter‐based PCR amplification method detecting a portion of the small‐subunit ribosomal RNA gene was developed to facilitate field studies detecting the parasite in fire ants. Processing ant homogenates with a commercially available membrane‐based system, FTA Classic Card technology, compared favorably with traditional DNA extraction and PCR amplification methods. As few as 100 spores were detected. The FTA membrane system is a simple, extraction‐free method for detecting T. solenopsae in fire ants, and allows for easy archival storage of DNA samples.