Abstract:
Understanding genetic diversity and movement patterns in parasitic organisms is paramount to establish
control and management strategies. In this study we developed a microsatellite resource as well as a
diagnostic multiplex for the cosmopolitan parasitic nematode Spirocerca lupi, known to cause spirocercosis
in canids. A combination of microsatellite enrichment and 454 sequencing was used to identify 149
unique microsatellite loci in S. lupi. Twenty loci were characterized further in two sampling sites in South
Africa, with 10 loci identified as polymorphic (allele ranges from 4 to 17). These loci were designed into a
single diagnostic multiplex suitable for species identification and population genetics studies. The markers
were also successful in cross-species amplification in Cylicospirura felineus, Philonema oncorhynchi
and Gongylonema pulchrum. Our resource provides a large set of candidate loci for a number of nematode
studies as well as loci suitable for diversity and population genetics studies of S. lupi within the South
African context as well as globally.
