Polymorphic microsatellites in the human bloodfluke, <it>Schistosoma japonicum</it>, identified using a genomic resource

• Main Authors: Spear Robert, Qiu Dongchuan, Brindley Paul J, Remais Justin, Xiao Ning, Lei Yang, Blair David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2011-02-01
• Series: Parasites & Vectors
• Online Access: http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/4/1/13

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Re-emergence of schistosomiasis in regions of China where control programs have ceased requires development of molecular-genetic tools to track gene flow and assess genetic diversity of <it>Schistosoma </it>populations. We identified many microsatellite loci in the draft genome of <it>Schistosoma japonicum </it>using defined search criteria and selected a subset for further analysis. From an initial panel of 50 loci, 20 new microsatellites were selected for eventual optimization and application to a panel of worms from endemic areas. All but one of the selected microsatellites contain simple tri-nucleotide repeats. Moderate to high levels of polymorphism were detected. Numbers of alleles ranged from 6 to 14 and observed heterozygosity was always >0.6. The loci reported here will facilitate high resolution population-genetic studies on schistosomes in re-emergent foci.</p>