POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION ASSAY IDENTIFIES CULEX NIGRIPALPUS: PART OF AN ASSAY FOR MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF THE COMMON CULEX (CULEN MOSQUITOES OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2003

Original Publication

Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association

Volume

19

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

115-120

Contributed by

American Mosquito Control Association

Notes

Author(s) - STEPHEN ASPEN, MARY B. CRABTREE, HARRY M. SAVAGE

 

Abstract

Nucleotide sequence information on intemal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 and ITS 2 regions ofthe nuclear ribosomal DNA multigene family was used to develop a polymerase chain reaction assay thatidentifies Culer nigripeilpas Theobald. The assay uses species-specific forward and reverse primers for C.x.nigripalpus and can be used along with previously described primers to distinguish among 4 common taxa ofCulex (Culex) of the eastern USA with a single thermal cycler program. The assay distinguishes among the 4taxa Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. restuans Theobald, Cx. salinarius Coquillett, and members of the Cx. pipiens Linnaeuscomplex. This assay may be used to verify the morphological identification of individual specimens of Culexor to confirm the species composition of mosquito pools.

Notes

Author(s) - STEPHEN ASPEN, MARY B. CRABTREE, HARRY M. SAVAGE