Real-time qPCR coupled with high-resolution melting curve analysis for the detection of the internal transcribed spacer 1 of Angiostrongylus costaricensis.

Abdominal angiostrongyliasis (AA) is a zoonotic and severe parasitic infection caused by Angiostrongylus costaricensis. AA is currently diagnosed by the observation of A. costaricensis-compatible structures in biopsies or the detection of antibodies in serological tests.

Zoonotic Mansonella ozzardi in Raccoons, Costa Rica, 2019-2022.

Mansonella ozzardi, a filarioid parasite, causes human mansonellosis in the Americas. We identified raccoons (Procyon lotor) as wildlife reservoirs of M. ozzardi in Costa Rica.

Mitochondrial and ribosomal markers in the identification of nematodes of clinical and veterinary importance.

Background: Nematodes of the Ascarididae, Ancylostomatidae and Onchocercidae families are parasites of human and veterinary importance causing infections with high prevalence worldwide. Molecular tools have significantly improved the diagnosis of these helminthiases, but the selection of genetic markers for PCR or metabarcoding purposes is often challenging because of the resolution these may show.

Methods: Nuclear 18S rRNA, internal transcribed spacers 1 (ITS-1) and 2 (ITS-2), mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase 1 (cox1) and mitochondrial rRNA genes 12S and 16S loci were studied for 30 species of the mentioned families.