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Molecular screening of nematodes in lacertid lizards from the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands using 18S rRNA sequences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2012

A. Perera ,
J.P.M.C. Maia ,
F. Jorge  and
D.J. Harris
A. Perera*
Affiliation:
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
J.P.M.C. Maia
Affiliation:
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
F. Jorge
Affiliation:
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
D.J. Harris
Affiliation:
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
*
* E-mail: perera@cibio.up.pt
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Abstract

The development of molecular methods is becoming a promising field in the analysis of parasite fauna in wildlife species. This is especially useful in the case of parasite species where developmental larval stages are difficult to assess using standard methods. In this study we screened for the presence of parasitic nematodes infecting lacertid lizards from the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic islands using nematode-specific 18S ribosomal RNA gene primers on host tissue samples. Sequencing of positive samples revealed the presence of different genera of nematodes. The detection of Strongyloides, a monoxenous genus reported for the first time in Podarcis lilfordi is probably the result of the amplification of larval stages present in the host circulatory system. Two spirurid nematodes, Synhimantus and a new unidentified clade, were also found, suggesting that reptiles might be paratenic hosts of several spirurid species. This study demonstrates the benefits of using specific molecular markers on tissue samples to identify infecting larval stages of nematodes, otherwise difficult to assess using traditional screening methods.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 87 , Issue 2 , June 2013 , pp. 189 - 194
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012 

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