A comparison of the first internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA in seven species of Trichostrongylus (Nematoda: Trichostrongylidae).

The first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) of the ribosomal DNA of seven species of Trichostrongylus was sequenced. The length of ITS-1 in the different species varied from 387 to 390 bases. The G + C content of the ITS-1 sequences were approximately 42%. Little or no intraspecific variation was detected in the three species. Trichostrongylus axei, Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Trichostrongylus vitrinus, for which multiple isolates from different geographical regions were sequenced. In contrast, the level of ITS-1 sequence differences between species ranged from 1.3% to 5.7%. The greatest sequence differences were detected between T. tenuis, the parasite species which infects birds and the six species found in mammals. Some of the nucleotide differences occurred at sites corresponding to recognition sites for restriction endonucleases. These results are compared with previous data obtained for the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2). The ITS-1 data indicate that this region of rDNA may also be useful for systematic studies in trichostrongylid nematodes.