PCR-based technology in veterinary parasitology

DNA technology is having a major impact in many areas of veterinary parasitology. In particular, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has found broad applicability because its sensitivity permits enzymatic amplification of gene fragments from minute quantities of nucleic acids derived from limited amounts of parasite material. This paper discusses some recent applications of PCR-based methods to parasites and highlights their usefulness or potential for those of veterinary importance. The focus is on PCR tools for the accurate identification of parasites and their genetic characterisation, the diagnosis of infections, the isolation and characterisation of expressed genes, the detection of anthelmintic resistance, and mutation scanning approaches for the high resolution analysis of PCR products. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.