Mutation scanning analysis of sequence heterogeneity in the second internal transcribed spacer (rDNA) within some members of theHypodontus macropi (Nematoda: Strongyloidea) complex

New genetic lineage of whipworm present in Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus)

With a global population of around 35 million in 47 countries, camels play a crucial role in the economy of many marginal and desert areas of the world where they survive in harsh conditions. Nonetheless, there is insufficient knowledge regarding camels' parasite fauna which can reduce their milk and meat production. A molecular study for the Trichuris population of Camelus bactrianus from Spain is presented based on sequences of mitochondrial (cox1, cob, rrnL) and ribosomal (ITS1 and ITS2) DNA regions. Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood methods were used to infer phylogenies for (i) each gene separately, (ii) the combined mitochondrial data, and (iii) the combined mitochondrial and ribosomal dataset. Molecular analyses revealed the existence of two different genetic lineages in the Trichuris parasites populations of C. bactrianus. Future studies should focus on whether there is a coevolution process corresponding to the wild or domestic character of C. bactrianus and Camelus dromedarius. Furthermore, it is necessary to increase integrative taxonomic studies on Trichuris spp. based on morphological, biometric, and molecular data, which will inevitably contribute to our knowledge of the etiology of trichuriasis.

Phylogenetic relationships of the nematode subfamily Phascolostrongylinae from macropodid and vombatid marsupials inferred using mitochondrial protein sequence data

BACKGROUND

The subfamily Phascolostrongylinae (Superfamily Strongyloidea) comprises nematodes that are parasitic in the gastrointestinal tracts of macropodid (Family Macropodidae) and vombatid (Family Vombatidae) marsupials. Currently, nine genera and 20 species have been attributed to the subfamily Phascolostrongylinae. Previous studies using sequence data sets for the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA showed conflicting topologies between the Phascolostrongylinae and related subfamilies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to validate the phylogenetic relationships within the Phascolostrongylinae and its relationship with the families Chabertiidae and Strongylidae using mitochondrial amino acid sequences.

METHODS

The sequences of all 12 mitochondrial protein-coding genes were obtained by next-generation sequencing of individual adult nematodes (n = 8) representing members of the Phascolostrongylinae. These sequences were conceptually translated and the phylogenetic relationships within the Phascolostrongylinae and its relationship with the families Chabertiidae and Strongylidae were inferred from aligned, concatenated amino acid sequence data sets.

RESULTS

Within the Phascolostrongylinae, the wombat-specific genera grouped separately from the genera occurring in macropods. Two of the phascolostrongyline tribes were monophyletic, including Phascolostrongylinea and Hypodontinea, whereas the tribe Macropostrongyloidinea was paraphyletic. The tribe Phascolostrongylinea occurring in wombats was closely related to Oesophagostomum spp., also from the family Chabertiidae, which formed a sister relationship with the Phascolostrongylinae.

CONCLUSION

The current phylogenetic relationship within the subfamily Phascolostrongylinae supports findings from a previous study based on ITS sequence data. This study contributes also to the understanding of the phylogenetic position of the subfamily Phascolostrongylinae within the Chabertiidae. Future studies investigating the relationships between the Phascolostrongylinae and Cloacininae from macropodid marsupials may advance our knowledge of the phylogeny of strongyloid nematodes in marsupials.

Characterization of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of a Whipworm Trichuris skrjabini (Nematoda: Trichuridae)

The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Trichuris skrjabini has been determined in the current study and subsequently compared with closely related species by phylogenetic analysis based on concatenated datasets of mt amino acid sequences. The whole mt genome of T. skrjabini is circular and 14,011 bp in length. It consists of a total of 37 genes including 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNAs) genes, and two non-coding regions. The gene arrangement and contents were consistent with other members of the Trichuridae family including Trichuris suis, Trichuris trichiura, Trichuris ovis, and Trichuris discolor. Phylogenetic analysis based on concatenated datasets of amino acids of the 12 PCGs predicted the distinctiveness of Trichuris skrjabini as compared to other members of the Trichuridae family. Overall, our study supports the hypothesis that T. skrjabini is a distinct species. The provision of molecular data of whole mt genome of T. skrjabini delivers novel genetic markers for future studies of diagnostics, systematics, population genetics, and molecular epidemiology of T. skrjabini.

Biodiversity of parasite assemblages in the genus Petrogale and its relation to the phylogeny and biogeography of their hosts

Parasites form an integral part of overall biodiversity although they are often overlooked in conservation management, where emphasis is primarily directed towards the host. Parasites are often highly specialised to particular hosts, and thus may be just as threatened as the host they inhabit. For many of Australia’s wildlife species, little is known about their associated parasite communities. To begin to address this knowledge gap, we documented the parasite fauna described in the genetically diverse marsupial genus Petrogale, which contains seven species of conservation concern. The literature evaluation showed parasites of Petrogale to be highly diverse, with 17 species of protozoa, 8 species of cestodes, 102 species of nematodes and 30 species of ectoparasites identified in 16 of 17 Petrogale host species. A comparison of the parasite communities amongst Petrogale host species indicated a highly significant correlation between the parasite community similarity, and the phylogeny (P = 0.008) and biogeography (P = 0.0001) of their Petrogale hosts, suggesting high host specificity within their associated parasite assemblages. Five Petrogale species have established species recovery programs and their parasite communities should also be considered threatened, and management of parasite diversity required as part of these conservation programs.

Analyses of mitochondrial amino acid sequence datasets support the proposal that specimens of Hypodontus macropi from three species of macropodid hosts represent distinct species

BACKGROUND

Hypodontus macropi is a common intestinal nematode of a range of kangaroos and wallabies (macropodid marsupials). Based on previous multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MEE) and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence data sets, H. macropi has been proposed to be complex of species. To test this proposal using independent molecular data, we sequenced the whole mitochondrial (mt) genomes of individuals of H. macropi from three different species of hosts (Macropus robustus robustus, Thylogale billardierii and Macropus [Wallabia] bicolor) as well as that of Macropicola ocydromi (a related nematode), and undertook a comparative analysis of the amino acid sequence datasets derived from these genomes.

RESULTS

The mt genomes sequenced by next-generation (454) technology from H. macropi from the three host species varied from 13,634 bp to 13,699 bp in size. Pairwise comparisons of the amino acid sequences predicted from these three mt genomes revealed differences of 5.8% to 18%. Phylogenetic analysis of the amino acid sequence data sets using Bayesian Inference (BI) showed that H. macropi from the three different host species formed distinct, well-supported clades. In addition, sliding window analysis of the mt genomes defined variable regions for future population genetic studies of H. macropi in different macropodid hosts and geographical regions around Australia.

CONCLUSIONS

The present analyses of inferred mt protein sequence datasets clearly supported the hypothesis that H. macropi from M. robustus robustus, M. bicolor and T. billardierii represent distinct species.

Genetic variation within the Hypodontus macropi (Nematoda: Strongyloidea) complex from macropodid marsupial hosts in Australia

Genetic variation was investigated in the strongylid nematode Hypodontus macropi from macropodid marsupials using the second internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA. A total of 547 specimens from ten species of hosts, representing all of the known hosts of the parasite, from across the Australian continent was examined. Phylogenetic analyses revealed distinct genetic clades in each of Macropus agilis, M. dorsalis, M. rufogriseus, M. bicolor, Petrogale persephone, Thylogale billardierii and T. stigmatica. A further clade contained all specimens from M. robustus and M. rufus, together with two examples of host switching by nematodes into M. fuliginosus. The latter clade was subdivided into three subclades, one comprising specimens occurring in M. robustus erubescens, M. rufus and M. fuliginosus, the second in M. r. woodwardi and the third in M. r. robustus suggesting a relationship between the subclades and the subspecies of M. robustus. The extent of the genetic differences and the fact that several of them occur in broad sympatry suggests that H. macropi as currently defined morphologically may represent as many as ten cryptic species. Limited evidence was found for co-speciation between hosts and parasites; rather most relationships were better explained by host switching.

Phylogenetic relationships of species within the tribe Labiostrongylinea (Nematoda: Cloacinidae) from Australian marsupials based on ribosomal DNA spacer sequence data

Parasitic nematodes of the tribe Labiostrongylinea (Family Cloacinidae) occur in the stomachs of a wide variety of potoroid and macropodid marsupials in Australia, Papua Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The aim of the present study was to infer the evolutionary relationships of the five genera of labiostrongyline nematodes that occur in Australian potoroids and macropodids using sequence data of the nuclear first and second internal transcribed spacers of ribosomal DNA. The phylogenetic analyses resulted in the separation of the Labiostrongylinea into two major groups reflecting coevolution between hosts and parasites. Two nematode species belonging to the genus Potorostrongylus formed a sister group to the remaining species of the Labiostrongylinea. This genus occurs exclusively in potoroid marsupials, which are considered to be basal to the macropodid marsupials. The second major group included species of Labiostrongylus, Labiosimplex, Labiomultiplex and Parazoniolaimus, all of which occur in macropodids. These species formed two distinct clades, one predominating in the host genera Thylogale and Onychogalea, and the second in the genus Macropus, which includes the more recent macropodids. However, there is also evidence of colonisation by both nematode clades of relatively unrelated hosts. In addition, genetic differences among individuals of Lm. eugenii from geographically isolated populations of M. eugenii, and among Ls. longispicularis from different subspecies of M. robustus suggest the existence of sibling species that may have arisen by allopatric speciation. The broad coevolutionary relationship between the labiostrongyline nematodes and their marsupial hosts therefore represents a mixture of potential cospeciation and colonisation events.

A case of canine Angiostrongylus vasorum in Scotland confirmed by PCR and sequence analysis

This report describes the first recognised case of Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in a native Scottish dog and its diagnostic confirmation using polymerase chain reaction. The use of this technique to definitively diagnose canine angiostrongylosis confirms the presence of this epidemiologically significant case. The implications of the changing distribution of this parasite are discussed.

Analysis of genetic variation in Globocephaloides populations from macropodid marsupials using a mutation scanning-based approach

Three species of Globocephaloides, parasitic nematodes occurring in macropodid marsupials in different areas of Australia, were characterized by the sequences of the first and second internal transcribed spacers (ITS-1 and ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Samples were subjected to PCR-coupled SSCP analysis and targeted sequencing, in order to assess genetic variation within and among individuals from different host species. Both SSCP and sequence data supported the current classification of morphospecies. Contrary to a previous hypothesis that cryptic species exist within the Globocephaloides trifidospicularis "complex", no or minor (0.2%) variation was detected among individuals from different hosts or geographical origins. Within G. macropodis populations, there was a consistent difference in both the ITS-1 (5.2%) and ITS-2 (7.1%) sequences between individuals derived from Macropus agilis and those from Macropus dorsalis. Although the results suggested that G. macropodis from each host species represented sibling species, future morphological study of individuals representing each G. macropodis genotype is warranted to provide further support for this hypothesis. (Nucleotide sequence data have been deposited in the GenBank database under accession nos. GQ131400-GQ131409.).

Molecular evolution and phylogenetic utility of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) in Calyptratae (Diptera: Brachycera)

The resolution potential of internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) at deeper levels remains controversial. In this study, 105 ITS2 sequences of 55 species in Calyptratae were analyzed to examine the phylogenetic utility of the spacer above the subfamily level and to further understand its evolutionary characteristics. We predicted the secondary structure of each sequence using the minimum-energy algorithm and constructed two data matrixes for phylogenetic analysis. The ITS2 regions of Calyptratae display strong A-T bias and slight variation in length. The tandem and dispersed repeats embedded in the spacers possibly resulted from replication slippage or transposition. Most foldings conformed to the four-domain model. Sequence comparison in combination with the secondary structures revealed six conserved motifs. Covariation analysis from the conserved motifs indicated that the secondary structure restrains the sequence evolution of the spacer. The deep-level phylogeny derived from the ITS2 data largely agreed with the phylogenetic hypotheses from morphologic and other molecular evidence. Our analyses suggest that the accordant resolutions generated from different analyses can be used to infer deep-level phylogenetic relations.

Genetic divergence between island and continental populations of the parasitic nematode Labiosimplex australis in Australia

Sequences of the first and second internal transcribed spacers (ITS-1 and ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal (r) DNA were characterised for Labiosimplex australis, a parasitic nematode of macropodid marsupials from continental Australia and from island populations which have been isolated from mainland Australia for relatively short periods of time (<40,000 years). The results showed that the geographically isolated populations of L. australis on Kangaroo Island and Tasmania were genetically different from each other and from populations on the mainland. There were two unequivocal nucleotide differences sites within the ITS-1 rDNA sequence between the two island populations; however, the ITS-1 sequences of individuals from mainland populations contained one or both of these nucleotides. In contrast, L. australis from each island population had unique nucleotides in ITS-2 sequence that were not detected in any individual from the mainland. Although these results are consistent with the hypothesis that L. australis represents a single species, the genetic divergence in the ITS-2 sequences amongst individuals from different isolated populations suggests that the island populations of L. australis may be in the initial stages of allopatric speciation.

Molecular evidence that Heligmosomoides polygyrus from laboratory mice and wood mice are separate species

The gastro-intestinal (GI) nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus is an important experimental model in laboratory mice and a well-studied parasite of wood mice in the field. Despite an extensive literature, the taxonomy of this parasite in different hosts is confused, and it is unclear whether laboratory and field systems represent the same or different Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Molecular analyses reveal high sequence divergence between H. p. bakeri (laboratory) and H. p. polygyrus (field); 3% difference in the ribosomal DNA Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS) and 8.6% variation in the more rapidly evolving mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. The COI sequence of U.K. H. p. polygyrus is more similar to H. glareoli from voles than to H. p. bakeri, while a single isolate of H. p. polygyrus from Guernsey confirms the extent of genetic variation between H. p. polygyrus populations. Analysis of molecular variance demonstrated that mtCOI sequence variation is associated primarily with groups with distinct ITS2 sequences, and with host identity, but is not partitioned significantly with a single combined taxon H. polygyrus incorporating European and North American isolates. We conclude therefore that the laboratory OTU should be raised to the level of a distinct species, as H. bakeri from the laboratory mouse Mus musculus, and we reject the hypothesis that H. bakeri has diverged from H. polygyrus in the recent past following introduction into America. However, we are unable to reject the hypothesis that H. polygyrus and H. bakeri are sister taxa, and it may be that H. polygyrus is polyphyletic or paraphyletic.

Molecular tools--advances, opportunities and prospects

Modern molecular technologies are having a substantial impact in many fundamental and applied areas of parasitology. In particular, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-coupled approaches have found broad applicability because their sensitivity permits the enzymatic amplification of gene fragments from minute quantities of nucleic acids from tiny amounts of parasite material. Also, high-resolution electrophoretic and genomic methods are finding increased utility. This paper briefly discusses some developments and applications of DNA methods to parasites and highlights their usefulness or potential for those of veterinary importance. Selected examples of applications with implications in fundamental (systematics, population genetics, epidemiology and ecology) and applied (diagnosis, prevention and control) areas are presented. The focus is mainly on tools for the accurate identification of parasitic nematodes and protozoa of socio-economic importance, the diagnosis of infections and the detection of genetic variability using PCR-coupled mutation scanning technology.

Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis as a new diagnostic tool to distinguish dorsal-spined larvae of the Elaphostrongylinae (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae) from cervids

Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) was used to genetically differentiate morphologically indistinguishable first-stage larvae (L(1)) of the six species of elaphostrongyline nematodes. A partial fragment (317-336bp) of the first internal transcribed spacer (pITS-1) plus 5' flanking region (76bp of the 18S gene) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was amplified from individual L(1) of known identity and subjected to SSCP. The results showed that the four species of elaphostrongylines found in North American cervids, Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, P. andersoni, P. odocoilei and Elaphostrongylus rangiferi, could be distinguished from one another based on their distinct (i.e. species-specific) SSCP profiles. In addition, E. alces, a species that occurs in moose in Fennoscandinavia, also had a distinct SSCP profile with respect to the other species of elaphostrongylines. However, the SSCP profiles of E. cervi could not be distinguished from those of E. rangiferi because of a lack of interspecific sequence differences in this region of the ITS-1. The distinct SSCP profiles for the other species were consistent with the interspecific differences in ITS-1 sequences, which ranged from 2 (between P. tenuis and P. andersoni) to 59bp (between genera). The pITS-1 SSCP approach was also used to identify unknown elaphostrongyline L(1) from different hosts and localities in North America. The ability to distinguish between L(1) of the four elaphostrongyline species that occur in North American cervids has important diagnostic and epidemiological implications.

The use of nuclear ribosomal DNA markers for the identification of bursate nematodes (order Strongylida) and for the diagnosis of infections

Many bursate nematodes are of major importance to animal health. Animals are often parasitized by multiple species that differ in their prevalence, relative abundance and/or pathogenicity. Implementation of effective management strategies for these parasites requires reliable methods for their detection in hosts, identification to the species level and measurement of intensity of infection. One major problem is the difficulty of accurately identifying and distinguishing many species of bursate nematode because of the remarkable morphological similarity of their eggs and larvae. The inability to identify, with confidence, individual nematodes (irrespective of their life-cycle stage) to the species level by morphological methods has often led to a search for species-specific genetic markers. Studies over the past 15 years have shown that sequences of the internal transcribed spacers of ribosomal DNA provide useful genetic markers, providing the basis for the development of PCR-based diagnostic tools. Such molecular methods represent powerful tools for studying the systematics, epidemiology and ecology of bursate nematodes and, importantly, for the specific diagnosis of infections in animals and humans, thus contributing to improved control and prevention strategies for these parasites.

Semi-nested PCR for the specific detection of Habronema microstoma or Habronema muscae DNA in horse faeces

Habronema microstoma and Habronema muscae (Spirurida: Habronematidae) are parasitic nematodes which infect the stomach and/or skin of equids. The accurate diagnosis of gastric habronemosis is central to studying its epidemiology, but data on its distribution and prevalence are lacking, mainly due to the limitations of clinical and coprological diagnosis in live horses. To overcome this constraint, a two-step, semi-nested PCR-based assay was validated (utilizing genetic markers in the nuclear ribosomal DNA) for the specific amplification of H. microstoma or H. muscae DNA from the faeces from horses (n = 46) whose gastrointestinal parasite status had been determined at autopsy and whose faeces were examined previously using a conventional parasitological approach. Of these horses examined at autopsy, some harboured adults of either H. microstoma (n= 19) or H. muscae (n =4), and others (n = 7) harboured both species. Most of them were also infected with other parasites, including strongylid nematodes (subfamilies Cyathostominae and Strongylinae), bots and/or cestodes; there was no evidence of metazoan parasites in 2 horses. Larvated spirurid eggs were detected in the faeces of 1 of the 30 horses (3.3 %) shown to be infected with Habronema at autopsy. For this set of 46 samples, the PCR assay achieved a diagnostic specificity of 100 % and a sensitivity of approximately 97 % (being able to specifically detect as little as approximately 0.02 fg of Habronema DNA). The specificity of the assay was also tested using a panel of control DNA samples representing horse, the gastric spirurid Draschia megastoma and 26 other species of parasites from the alimentary tract of the horse. H. microstoma, H. muscae and D. megastoma could be readily differentiated from one another based on the sizes of their specific amplicons in the PCR. The results of this study showed that the performance of the PCR for the diagnosis of gastric habronemosis was similar to that of autopsy but substantially better than the traditional coprological examination procedure used. The ability to specifically diagnose gastric habronemosis in equids should have important implications for investigating the epidemiology and ecology of H. microstoma and H. muscae.

Intrastrain internal transcribed spacer heterogeneity inGanodermaspecies

Intrastrain internal transcribed spacer (ITS) heterogeneity is first reported from Ganoderma, a fungal genus within Basidiomycetes. ITS amplification products from 4 strains, representing 4 Ganoderma species, were cloned and sequenced. Two to five different ITS types were found within a single strain. The clone sequences were analyzed along with other sequences from Ganoderma retrieved from GenBank. The results show that sequence variation within strains varies considerably with species and the heterogeneity may occur in the 3 parts (ITS1, ITS2, and 5.8S) of the ITS region.Key words: intragenomic ITS heterogeneity, polymorphism, Ganoderma.

Electrophoretic analysis of genetic variability within Cryptosporidium parvum from imported and autochthonous cases of human cryptosporidiosis in the United Kingdom

Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst DNA samples (n = 184) from humans with cryptosporidiosis contracted during foreign travel or during outbreaks in the United Kingdom were characterized genetically and categorized by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP)-based analysis of the small-subunit gene (pSSU) (approximately 300 bp) and second internal transcribed spacer (pITS-2) (approximately 230 bp) of nuclear ribosomal DNA. The two recognized genotypes (types 1 and 2) of C. parvum could be readily differentiated by a distinct electrophoretic shift in the pSSU SSCP profile, associated with a nucleotide difference of approximately 1.3 to 1.7%. Of the 102 samples from cases contracted during foreign travel, 88 (86.3%) were identified as C. parvum type 1 and 14 (13.7%) were identified as type 2. For outbreak samples, unequivocal differentiation between type 1 (n = 20; one child nursery outbreak) and type 2 (n = 62; two waterborne outbreaks) was also achieved. Nucleotide variation in pITS-2 (both within and among samples representing each genotype) was substantially greater (10 to 13 different profiles for each genotype, relating to sequence differences of approximately 1 to 42%) than that in pSSU. SSCP analysis of pITS-2 for all samples revealed that some profiles had a broad geographical distribution whereas others were restricted to particular locations, suggesting a link between some subgenotypes and the geographical origin or source. Comparative denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis revealed the same genotypic identification and a similar subgenotypic classification of samples as SSCP analysis. The findings of this study, particularly the detection of intragenotypic variation by SSCP, should have significant diagnostic implications for investigating transmission patterns and the monitoring of outbreaks.

Redescription of Zoniolaimus mawsonae Beveridge, 1983 (Nematoda: Strongyloidea) and the description of Z. latebrosus n. sp. from the red kangaroo Macropus rufus (Marsupialia: Macropodidae) based on morphological and molecular data

This study shows that the description of Z. mawsonae given by Beveridge (1983) represented a composite of two species. Hence, Z. mawsonae Beveridge, 1983 is re-described and a new species, Z. latebrosus, is described. Males of the two species differ in the lengths of their spicules (0.94-1.23 mm in Z. mawsonae compared with 1.53-1.95 mm in Z. latebrosus) and in several characteristics of the bursa and genital cone. Females of the two species can be identified based on the shape of the posterior end of the body, that of Z. mawsonae being markedly swollen. Molecular data, obtained from single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and DNA sequencing of the second internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA, provided additional support for the separation of the two species.

Applications of single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) to taxonomy, diagnosis, population genetics and molecular evolution of parasitic nematodes

The analysis of genetic variation in parasitic nematodes has important implications for studying aspects of taxonomy, diagnosis, population genetics, drug resistance and molecular evolution. This article highlights some applications of PCR-based single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) for the analysis of sequence variation in individual parasites (and their populations) to address some of these areas. It also describes the principles and advantages of SSCP, and provides some examples for future applications in parasitology.

Single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis of genetic variation in Labiostrongylus longispicularis from kangaroos

Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis was employed to screen for sequence heterogeneity in the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of ribosomal (r) DNA of Labiostrongylus longispicularis, a parasitic strongylid nematode occuring in some species of kangaroo in different geographical regions of Australia. The results showed that most of the nematodes screened had different SSCP profiles, which were subsequently shown to correspond to polymorphisms and/or an indel in the ITS-2 sequence. These variable sites related mainly to unpaired regions of the predicted secondary structure of the precursor rRNA molecule. SSCP profiles could be used to distinguish L. longispicularis in Macropus robustus robustus (New South Wales) from L. longispicularis in Macropus robustus erubescens and Macropus rufus (South Australia). This difference corresponded to a transversional change in the ITS-2 sequence at alignment position 82. The study demonstrated clearly the effectiveness of SSCP analysis for future large-scale population genetic studies of L. longispicularis in order to test the hypothesis that L. longispicularis from different geographical regions represents multiple sibling species.