Differential diagnosis of Moniezia benedeni and M. expansa (Anoplocephalidae) by PCR using markers in small ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA)

Abstract

Moniezia benedeni and M. expansa are common ruminant tapeworms of worldwide distribution, causing gastrointestinal disorders and even death in sheep and goats. In this study, a polymerase chain reaction- (PCR-) based approach for precise species identification was developed and also applied to faecal DNA diagnosis of the tapeworm infection. Since nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) appears to be a useful target for species and/or strain markers, the 18S regions of the rDNA of M. benedeni and M. expansa were amplified and sequenced. The lengths and GC contents of the regions sequenced were 2476-2487 bp and 51.9-52.1% for M. benedeni and 2473 bp and 51.9-52.0% for M. expansa, respectively. Alignment and comparison of the 18S sequences of the two species showed 92.5-93.3% homology. No matches for the 18S regions of M. benedeni and M. expansa were found with other species by BLAST search, which made the 18S sequences appropriate markers for the design of distinctive primers for the two Moniezia species. Our 18S-based PCR could detect as low levels as 0.5 pg genomic DNA or the DNA extracted from 0.2 g faecal sample collected from the rectum of an M. expansa-infected goat. The results indicate that this PCR approach is a reliable alternative for the differential diagnosis of Moniezia species in faecal samples.

Gastrointestinal parasitic infections in Indian Gaddi (goat) breed bucks: clinical, hemato-biochemical, parasitological and chemotherapeutic studies

“…The researches on small animal gastrointestinal parasitism had highlighted Haemonchus species infection as major constraint in small ruminant production worldwide including South-East Asia (Chauhan et al 2003). On the other hand, monieziosis also affects adversely the productivity of small ruminants and more specifically lambs become soft victims of the parasitic infestation leading to diarrhea, reduced weight gain, gastrointestinal disorders and even death (Elliott 1986;Yan et al 2013). The parasitic infections and more specifically helminthic infections are major constraints in profitable small ruminant farming in western Himalayas and other hilly regions of India (Asrani et al 1999).…”

Moniezia expansa y Moniezia benedeni una parasitosis en rumiantes: una visión general de sus aspectos vinculados a su taxonomía

“…Since the description of the genus by Blanchard in 1891, 11 species were included, but later 6 species were added; however, regardless of the number of species recorded, Moniezia benedeni (Moniez, 1879) and Moniezia expansa (Rudolphi, 1810) remain the 2 most important species, with prevalence levels ranging from 1 to 21 % in various geographic regions or different seasons of the same regions 5 .…”

Epidemiology and diversity of gastrointestinal tract helminths of wild ruminants in sub-Saharan Africa: a review

“…Monieziasis pathogeneicity is mild and is associated with moderate infection (Kumar & Kaur, 2023). However, heavy infections do occur and often lead to considerable economic losses associated with detrimental clinical manifestations such as pot-belly, poor growth rate, diarrhoea, anaemia, intestinal pathology, poor quality of wool, and even death of the ruminant host (Fagbemi & Dipeolu, 1983; Zhao et al, 2009; Yan et al, 2013).…”