OBJECTIVE: To identify Echinococcus isolates collected from Tibetan foxes(Vulpes ferrilata) and dogs in Chengduo county, Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai Province. METHODS: Six Tibetan foxes and 6 Tibetan dogs died accidently. Small intestines were dissected from the animals. The adult tap-worms were collected by sedimentation technique. The worms were stained with borax carmine and observed under microscope. The isolates were identified initially by morphology and the infection intensity for each animal was calculated. Eight isolates of E. multilocularis and 2 isolates of E. shiquicus were selected for the extraction of total DNA. The mitochondrion DNA CO I gene was amplified with specific primers by PCR, then sequenced and analyzed. RESULTS: E. multilocularis and E. shiquicus were found. Two out of 6 Tibetan foxes were infected with E. multilocularis, the infection intensity was 1,640 and 839. One Tibetan fox was infected by E. shiquicus with an infection intensity of 833. Two Tibetan dogs were infected with E. multilocularis, and the infection intensity was 10,195 and 78, respectively. The obtained partial sequences of CO I gene were 450 bp. The CO I gene from 8 isolates of E. multilocularis shared 100% homology with the isolates collected from Tibetan dogs in Sichuan Province (Accession No. AB461417). The CO I gene from 2 isolates of E. shiquicus showed high sequence homology (99.2%) with the isolates collected from Ochotona curzoniae in Shiqu County, Sichuan Province(Accession No. AB159136). CONCLUSION: E. multilocularis and E. shiquicus have been identified in the small intestines of wild foxes, and E. multilocularis in Tibetan dogs.
OBJECTIVE: To identify Echinococcus isolates collected from Tibetan foxes(Vulpes ferrilata) and dogs in Chengduo county, Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai Province. METHODS: Six Tibetan foxes and 6 Tibetan dogs died accidently. Small intestines were dissected from the animals. The adult tap-worms were collected by sedimentation technique. The worms were stained with borax carmine and observed under microscope. The isolates were identified initially by morphology and the infection intensity for each animal was calculated. Eight isolates of E. multilocularis and 2 isolates of E. shiquicus were selected for the extraction of total DNA. The mitochondrion DNA CO I gene was amplified with specific primers by PCR, then sequenced and analyzed. RESULTS:E. multilocularis and E. shiquicus were found. Two out of 6 Tibetan foxes were infected with E. multilocularis, the infection intensity was 1,640 and 839. One Tibetan fox was infected by E. shiquicus with an infection intensity of 833. Two Tibetan dogs were infected with E. multilocularis, and the infection intensity was 10,195 and 78, respectively. The obtained partial sequences of CO I gene were 450 bp. The CO I gene from 8 isolates of E. multilocularis shared 100% homology with the isolates collected from Tibetan dogs in Sichuan Province (Accession No. AB461417). The CO I gene from 2 isolates of E. shiquicus showed high sequence homology (99.2%) with the isolates collected from Ochotona curzoniae in Shiqu County, Sichuan Province(Accession No. AB159136). CONCLUSION:E. multilocularis and E. shiquicus have been identified in the small intestines of wild foxes, and E. multilocularis in Tibetan dogs.