COMPARISON OF IMMUNOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR METHODS FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF INFECTIONS WITH PATHOGENIC SARCOCYSTIS SPECIES IN SHEEP

摘要: Sheep may be infected by four species of Sarcocystis: Sarcocystis tenella and arieticanis are pathogenic, gigantea medusiformis non-pathogenic. The two pathogenic cause abortion or acute disease during the early phase infection chronic late infection. Thus far, diagnosis sarcocystiosis has been limited, because traditional diagnostic tests based on detection Sarcocystis-specific antibodies only genus-specific and, thus, cannot differentiate between non-pathogenic species. In addition, most these can detect sarcocystiosis. Therefore, Sarcocystis-induced mainly post-mortem examination, i. e. after animal had succumbed to disease. Recently, we have established species-specific PCR assays unique ribosomal RNA gene sequences S. arieticanis. These enable differentiation infections with in sheep intra vitam therefore, facilitate for first time comprehensive studies epidemiology importance sheep.