Duplex Real-Time PCR Assay for Clinical Differentiation of Onchocerca lupi and Onchocerca volvulus.

Duplex Real-Time PCR Assay for Clinical Differentiation of Onchocerca lupi and Onchocerca volvulus. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2020 Aug 03;: Authors: de Almeida M, Nascimento FS, Mathison BA, Bishop H, Bradbury RS, Cama VA, da Silva AJ Abstract In the United States and Europe, human onchocerciasis is a rare disease caused by zoonotic or anthropophilic parasites in the genus Onchocerca. The zoonotic species identified in focal areas of Europe and United States is Onchocerca lupi, and Onchocerca volvulus, the anthroponotic species, may be found among people who had lived in endemic areas of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, or Latin America. Onchocerciasis due to O. lupi is an emergent parasitic disease, with limited diagnostic methods, in addition to the lack of information on its biology, transmission, and epidemiology. Cutaneous nodules are the disease's most prevalent manifestation but lack diagnostic specificity. To address the diagnosis of onchocerciasis at reference laboratories, we developed a duplex TaqMan real-time PCR (qPCR) method, targeting the cytochrome oxidase subunit I locus which has species-specific probes to identify and differentiate O. lupi from O. volvulus. We determined the performance of the duplex with a panel of 45 samples: 11 positives for O. lupi, six for O. volvulus, five samples with negative results for Onchocerca spp., and 23 non-Onchocerca nematodes. The duplex qPCR correctly detected 10 of 11 O. lupi- and six of...
Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Tags: Am J Trop Med Hyg Source Type: research