Authors : Jinjun Xu, Chanbao Qu, Ping Guo, Chong Liu and Jianping Tao
Abstract: Histomonas meleagridis (H. meleagridis) is a protozoan parasite that may cause histomoniasis, a disease in poultry of the order Galliformes. The phylogenetic relationships between H. meleagridis in different geographical regions of China are not well understood. By PCR, the partial 18SrRNA gene was amplified from 30 liver samples collected from chickens infected with H. meleagridis in East China. The obtained sequences were aligned with other known 18SrRNA gene sequences of H. meleagridis strains and two taxonomically related protozoan species. The alignment results showed that the 18SrRNA gene sequence of H. meleagridis was highly conserved in East China with nucleotide sequence identity of 98.4-100.0%. Further phylogenetic analysis revealed these sequences were clustered into five groups, suggesting the presence of different genotypes. These results throw a light on molecular diagnosis, epidemiological investigation and population genetics of H. meleagridis in China.
Jinjun Xu, Chanbao Qu, Ping Guo, Chong Liu and Jianping Tao, 2013. Phylogenetic Relationships of the 18SrRNA Gene Sequence of Histomonas meleagridis from Chickens in East China. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 12: 1338-1342.