Multiplex PCR identification of Taenia spp. in rodents and carnivores

Abstract

The genus Taenia includes several species of veterinary and public health importance, but diagnosis of the etiological agent in definitive and intermediate hosts often relies on labor intensive and few specific morphometric criteria, especially in immature worms and underdeveloped metacestodes. In the present study, a multiplex PCR, based on five primers targeting the 18S rDNA and ITS2 sequences, produced a species-specific banding patterns for a range of Taenia spp. Species typing by the multiplex PCR was compared to morphological identification and sequencing of cox1 and/or 12S rDNA genes. As compared to sequencing, the multiplex PCR identified 31 of 32 Taenia metacestodes from rodents, whereas only 14 cysts were specifically identified by morphology. Likewise, the multiplex PCR identified 108 of 130 adult worms, while only 57 were identified to species by morphology. The tested multiplex PCR system may potentially be used for studies of Taenia spp. transmitted between rodents and carnivores.

Infections with cardiopulmonary and intestinal helminths and sarcoptic mange in red foxes from two different localities in Denmark

“…The mucosa of the small intestine was scraped and the intestinal contents were washed with luke tap water into a 500 µm and a 212 µm sieve by means of a water jet. An initial diagnosis of taeniid worms was based on the shape, size and number of rostellar hooks (Verster 1969) and followed by multiplex PCR analysis for differentiating species of Taenia (Al-Sabi et al 2011). If foxes harboured less than five worms then all worms were examined, whereas at higher worm burden up to ten worms per host were examined with priority given to worms that had retained rostellar hooks, for morphological comparison and confirmation.…”

“…Differential diagnosis of taeniid worms is not always feasible due to loss of characteristic morphological features as a result of cadaver preservation methods (Borgsteede 1984;Wolfe et al 2001). Alternatively, differential diagnosis of taeniid worms can be achieved by molecular typing (Trachsel et al 2007;Al-Sabi et al 2011;Armua-Fernandez et al 2011), but this has not being practiced in epidemiological studies on fox taeniids yet.…”

“…In this study implementing a molecular typing of taeniid worms by a single step multiplex-PCR assay (Al-Sabi et al 2011) facilitated species-specific detection of worms that could not be specifically diagnosed using morphology. Variations in prevalence rates of taeniids could be attributed to intrinsic variations in the ecological components of the studied localities, which mainly affect host feeding habits (MartinezMoreno et al 2007).…”

Comparative analysis of the miRNA profiles from Taenia solium and Taenia asiatica adult

“…Furthermore, if the samples are from different hosts or various developing stages, morphology will not be enough for identification and differentiation. With the development of molecular technologies, PCR-based techniques have been developed for the identification and differentiation of Taenia species, including T. solium or T. asiatica (Al-Sabi and Kapel, 2011;Jeon et al, 2011a, b). However, there are currently no published data about the microRNA (miRNA) profiles of T. solium or T. asiatica.…”

Progress on research on rodents and rodent-borne zoonoses in South-east Asia

“…Once the rodent taxonomy has been defined, accurate identification of associated zoonotic pathogens and/or parasites is required, which requires the use of improved screening methods where possible (e.g. Ahmed et al 2009;Al-Sabi and Kapel 2011). The risk to human health posed by major rodent-borne pathogens such as hantaviruses or Yersinia pestis (the agent of bubonic or pneumonic plague) illustrates the need to clearly identify rodent reservoirs and reservoir complexes (Haydon et al 2002).…”