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Pseudanoplocephala crawfordiis one of the important zoonotic cestodes causing economic significance and public health concern. In the present study, the phylogenetic position ofP. crawfordiisolated from pigs was re-inferred using molecular markers of internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA (ITS rDNA) and partial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (pnad1) mitochondrial DNA. The lengths of ITS1, ITS2 rDNA and pnad1 were 757 bp, 628 bp and 458 bp, respectively. Sequence differences in the ITS1, ITS2 rDNA and pnad1 betweenP. crawfordiandHymenolepisspecies were smaller than that between cestodes within genusHymenolepis. Phylogenetic analyses based on three gene fragments showed thatP. crawfordiwas grouped into cluster ofHymenolepisspecies. These results suggested thatP. crawfordiwould be one member of genusHymenolepisbut not in a new genusPseudanoplocephala. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To identify Pomacea canaliculata and P. insularum using a molecular approach, the partial sequences of mitochondrial (mt) adenosine triphosphate subunit 6 (p atp6) genes of two apple snails species from eight provinces of China were obtained. The intra-specific variations in mt p atp6 within P. canaliculata were 0-4.5%, and no sequence difference in this region was observed within P. insularum. However, high inter-specific variations between P. canaliculata and P. insularum were detected, with sequence differences of 8.9-10.1%. Phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of mt p atp6 revealed that P. canaliculata and P. insularum were grouped in different clades, but the genetic trees could not reveal geographically genetic relationships of P. canaliculata isolates from different origins. These findings will provide basic information for further study of molecular epidemiology and control of Pomacea invasion in China as well as in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined sequence variations in three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) regions, namely, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 ( nad5), adenosine triphosphate subunit 6 ( atp6) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 ( cox3), among Oesophagostomum asperum isolates from different regions in Shaanxi and Hunan provinces, China. The lengths for partial sequences of nad5 (p nad5), atp6 (p atp6) and cox3 (p cox3) were 427 bp, 381 bp and 337 bp, respectively. The intra-specific sequence variations among all O. asperum samples were 0-2.11%, 0-1.84% and 0-1.48% for p nad5, p atp6 and p cox3, respectively, while the inter-specific sequence differences among Oesophagostomum species in pig and small ruminants were 18-21.3% for p nad5, 18.3-24.5% for p atp6 and 10.6-13.7% for p cox3. A phylogenetic analysis based on combined sequences of three mtDNA fragments indicated that all O. asperum isolates were grouped in one solid clade, and the Oesophagostomum spp. from pig were located in another clade. However, these mtDNA fragments could not reveal genetic relationships of geographical isolates of O. asperum in China. These results provided valuable information for studying population genetics of Oesophagostomum spp., and for controlling Oesophagostomum infection in animals as well as humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the variations in three mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequences, namely cytochrome b ( cytb), cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 ( cox3) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 ( nad5), among Baylisascaris schroederi isolates from the Qinling subspecies of the giant panda in Shaanxi province, northwestern China. No differences in length were detected in the three mt fragments from different isolates. The intra-specific sequence variations within all B. schroederi samples were 0-2.6% for p cytb, 0-1.8% for p cox3 and 0-2.1% for p nad5, while the inter-specific sequence differences among members of the genus Baylisascaris were 8.2-15.2%, 6.2-15.9% and 8.4-16.0% for p cytb, p cox3, p nad5, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis of the combined sequences of p cytb, p cox3 and p nad 5 showed that all B. schroederi samples in the present study were located in two large clusters, with one cluster containing samples from giant pandas in Sichuan province. These findings provide basic information for further study of molecular epidemiology and control of B. schroederi infection in the Qinling subspecies of the giant panda and throughout China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic variations in three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) regions, namely portion of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (p cox1), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (p nad1) and cytochrome b (p cytb), were examined for Dicrocoelium dendriticum samples isolated from different origins in Shaanxi Province, northwestern China. The intra-specific sequence differences within D. dendriticum samples were 0-0.52% for p cox1, 0-0.73% for p nad1 and 0-0.58% for p cytb. Phylogenetic analyses based on combined sequences of three mtDNA showed that all D. dendriticum samples were clustered together in same clade of Paragonimus westermani. But the phylogenetic trees could not reveal geographically genetic relationships of D. dendriticum isolates in this province. These findings will provide basic information for further study of molecular epidemiology and control of D. dendriticum infection in this province as well as in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tick is one of important ectoparasites capable of causing direct damage to their hosts and also acts as vectors of relevant infectious agents. In the present study, the taxa of 10 ticks, collected from Qinling giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis) in Qinling Mountains of China in April 2010, were determined using morphology and molecular markers (nucleotide ITS2 rDNA and mitochondrial 16S). Microscopic observation demonstrated that the morphological features of these ticks were similar to Haemaphysalis flava. Compared with other Haemaphysalis species, genetic variations between Haemaphysalis collected from A. m. qinlingensis and H. flava were the lowest in ITS2 rDNA and mitochondrial 16S, with sequence differences of 2.06%–2.40% and 1.30%–4.70%, respectively. Phylogenetic relationships showed that all the Haemaphysalis collected from A. m. qinlingensis were grouped with H. flava, further confirmed that the Haemaphysalis sp. is H. flava. This is the first report of ticks in giant panda by combining with morphology and molecular markers. This study also provided evidence that combining morphology and molecular tools provide a valuable and efficient tool for tick identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the roles and explore the altered expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs in chicken embryos in response to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) infection, deep sequencing was performed. Then, a conjoint analysis of small RNA-seq and mRNA-seq was performed to screen interactional miRNA⁻mRNA pairs during NDV infection. In total, 15 and 17 up- and downregulated miRNAs were identified that potentially targeted 4279 and 6080 mRNAs in NDV-infected chicken embryonic tissues, respectively; in addition, 595 upregulated and 480 downregulated mRNAs were identified. The conjoint analysis of the obtained data identified 1069 miRNA⁻mRNA pairs. Among these pairs, 130 pairs were related to immune or inflammatory responses. The relationship between gga-miR-203a and its target transglutaminase 2 (TGM2) was confirmed using a dual-luciferase reporter system and a real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay. Overall, the discovery of miRNAs, mRNAs, and their potential pairing relationships, which may be involved in the regulation of NDV infection, will facilitate our understanding of the complex regulatory relationship between the host and the virus.