Early detection of Trichinella spiralis in muscle of infected mice by real-time fluorescence resonance energy transfer PCR

Early Detection of Trichinella spiralis DNA in Rat Feces Based on Tracing Phosphate Ions Generated During Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification

Early diagnosis of trichinellosis is still difficult because of the lack of specific symptoms and limited window for serological detection. Here we established an assay based on tracing phosphate ions generated during loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) to detect Trichinella spiralis DNA in rat feces during its early stage of infection. By targeting a 1.6-kb repetitive element of Tri. spiralis, the assay was able to detect Tri. spiralis DNA in the feces of all infected rats as early as 1 day postinfection (dpi). The positive detection lasted to 7 dpi in the rats infected with 250 muscle larvae, and 21 dpi in the rats infected with 5,000 larvae. The assay was highly sensitive, and could detect 1.7 femtograms (fg) of Tri. spiralis DNA with high specificity, and with no cross reactivity with the DNA from Anisakis pegreffii, Gnathostoma spinigerum, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Enterobius vermicularis, Schistosoma japonicum, and Trypanosoma evansi. Our present study provided a reliable technique for the early diagnosis of trichinellosis with the advantages of simplicity and speed, as well as high sensitivity and specificity.

A singleplex real-time fluorescence resonance energy transfer PCR with melting curve analysis for the differential detection of Paragonimus heterotremus, Echinostoma malayanum and Fasciola gigantica eggs in faeces

BACKGROUND

Because the eggs of Paragonimus, Echinostoma and Fasciola are very similar in size and shape, it is difficult to distinguish and accurately identify species by the morphology of their eggs, which is a standard diagnostic method.

METHODS

In this study, a novel assay combining a real-time fluorescence resonance energy transfer PCR and melting curve analysis using one set of primers and fluorophore-labelled hybridization probes specific for the 28S rDNA region was developed for the molecular detection of Paragonimus heterotremus, Echinostoma malayanum and Fasciola gigantica eggs.

RESULTS

This assay could detect and distinguish P. heterotremus, E. malayanum and F. gigantica DNA with the distinct melting temperature (Tm) values of 57.99±0.08, 62.12±0.15 and 74.10±0.18, respectively. The assay can also be used to detect and distinguish DNA from P. bangkokensis, P. harinasutai, P. machorchis, E. revolutum, Hypodereum conoideum and F. hepatica, which have different Tm values. The sensitivity of this assay enabled the detection of one egg of P. heterotremus, E. malayanum or F. gigantica per 100 mg of faeces. In addition, the specificity testing showed no fluorescence signal for other parasites.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to the sensitivity and specificity of our assay in detecting P. heterotremus, E. malayanum and F. gigantica, our method could be used to accurately diagnose these three medically important parasitic groups and has potential implications for molecular epidemiological investigations of human and/or animal infections.

Trichinella spiralis, potential model nematode for epigenetics and its implication in metazoan parasitism

The recent discovery of DNA methylation in the nematode T.spiralis may raise the possibility of using it as a potential model organism for epigenetic studies instead of C. elegans, which is deficient in this important epigenetic modification. In contrast to the free-living nematode C. elegans, T. spiralis is a parasitic worm that possesses a complicated life cycle and undergoes a complex developmental regulation of genes. We emphasize that the differential methylomes in the different life-history stages of T. spiralis can provide insight on how DNA methylation is triggered and regulated. In particular, we have demonstrated that DNA methylation is involved in the regulation of its parasitism-related genes. Further computational analyses indicated that the regulatory machinery for DNA methylation can also be found in the T. spiralis genome. By a logical extension of this point, we speculate that comprehensively addressing the epigenetic machinery of T. spiralis may help to understand epigenetics in invertebrates. Furthermore, considering the implication of epigenetics in metazoan parasitism, using T. spiralis as an epigenetic model organism may further contribute to drug development against metazoan parasites.