Genetic variability of Baylisascaris schroederi from the Qinling subspecies of the giant panda in China revealed by sequences of three mitochondrial genes.

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]