DIFFERENTIATION OF BRUGIA MA-LAYIAND BRUGIA PAHANGIBY PCR-RFLP OF ITSl AND ITS2

Lymphatic filariasis has been targclCdby the World Health Organization for elimination by the year 2020. Malayan filariasis. caused by Brl/gia lIIa/ayi,is endemic in southern Thailand where domestic cats serve as a major reservoir host. However, in nature, domestic cats also carry B. pahal1gi infection. In addition to chel11othempyand vector control. control in reservoir hosts is necessary to achieve the elimination of the disease. Thereforc. differentiation between B. ma/ayi and B. pahal1gi in the cat reservoir will help the lymphatic control program (0 monitor and evaluate the real disease situation. It is difficult to differentiate these t\VOBrugia species by microscopic examination. The technique is also time-consuming and reyuires expertise. We employed the' polymerase chain reaction-linked restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique of internal transcribed spacer regions, ITS I and 11'52.ofribosol11alDNA (rDNA) to differentiate B. lIIa/ayifrom B.pahallgi species. Amongthe restrictionenzymes tested.only the PCR product onTS I digested with Ase I could differentiate B. ma/ayi from B. pa!Jallgi. This PCR-RFLP technique will be useful for lymphatic filariasis control programs for monitoring and evaluating animal reservoirs.