Journal article
Molecular differentiation of four species of oropsylla (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) using PCR-based single strand conformation polymorphism analyses and DNA sequencing
JT Thoroughgood, JS Armstrong, B White, CA Anstead, TD Galloway, LR Lindsay, TK Shury, JE Lane, NB Chilton
Journal of Medical Entomology | Published : 2021
DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa161
Abstract
It is often difficult to distinguish morphologically between closely related species of fleas (Siphonaptera). Morphological identification of fleas often requires microscopic examination of internal structures in specimens cleared using caustic solutions. This process degrades DNA and/or inhibits DNA extraction from specimens, which limits molecular-based studies on individual fleas and their microbiomes. Our objective was to distinguish between Oropsylla rupestris (Jordan), Oropsylla tuberculata (Baker), Oropsylla bruneri (Baker), and Oropsylla labis (Jordan & Rothschild) (Ceratophyllidae) using PCR-based single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses and DNA sequencing. A 446 bp r..
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Awarded by University of Saskatchewan
Funding Acknowledgements
Funding for this work was provided by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC Discovery Grant to NBC) and the University of Saskatchewan (One-Health Research Development Grant to J.E.L., N.B.C., and T.K.S.). J.T.T. is a grateful recipient of a Margaret MacKay Scholarship. Data for this study were collected under the following Parks Canada Agency research and collection permits: GRA 2012-12293, GRA 2014-16020, GRA 2014-16101, GRA 2015-18598, GRA 2015-19016, and GRA 2017-24697). We also thank Colleen Crill, Jillian Kusch, Stefano Liccioli, Austin Baron, Lauren Beaulieu, Sarah Champagne, Justin Crowe, Heather Facette, Samantha Fischer, Laura Gardiner, Travis Houston, Nils Lokken, Jacqueline Menzies, Chris Reed, Nathan Young, the volunteers, field technicians, and multiple Parks Canada Agency staff who assisted in the collection of fleas in Grasslands National Park, as well as the farmers who provided rodents for this study. T.D.G. thanks the continued support of the Department of Entomology and the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Manitoba. Shaun Dergousoff is also acknowledged for his assistance with Fig. 1.