Development of PCR assay for differentiation of some important wild animal meat of Sri Lanka.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed to differentiate meat of Ceylon spotted deer (Axis axis ceylonensis), Ceylon hog deer (A. porcius oryzus), Ceylon sambhur (Cervus unicolor unicolor) and barking deer (Muntiacus muntijak malabaricus) from meat of cattle, goat, buffalo, pig, dog and sheep. A set of primers was designed according to the sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of C.