Molecular Detection of Specific Gene from Infected Dog Blood Sample Using Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Background: , a filarial nematode, is the most important parasite-affecting dogs, causing cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis. Current diagnostic tools for detecting include morphological assays, antigen detection, and X-ray. Herein, we developed a method for the molecular detection of in blood using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Methods: The study was conducted at Eulji University, Republic of Korea in 2016. To detect -specific gene regions, we aligned the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I () genes of seven filarial nematodes and designed primers targeting the unique region. We used dog glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase ()-targeted primers as the internal control. We conducted PCR-amplified genomic DNA from canine blood samples. The products were confirmed by sequencing.

Results: Gene alignment revealed a -specific gene region, and the activity of designed primers was confirmed by PCR and sequencing. Plasmid DNA made from the PCR products was a positive control. The limit of detection for our method was 50 copies. The and dog genes could be discriminated from blood samples simultaneously.

Conclusion: This study provides a method for highly specific and sensitive molecular diagnosis of used as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool from the early stage of infection.