Chandrasekharan, N.V.Karunanayake, E.H.Franzen, L.Abeyewickreme, W.Pettersson, U.2014-10-292014-10-291994Experimental Parasitology. 1994; 78(3): pp.279-2860014-4894 (Print)1090-2449 (Electronic)http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1215Indexed in MEDLINEA highly repetitive DNA element from the genome of the filarial nematode Dirofilaria repens has been cloned and sequenced. The 176-base pair repeating units are arranged in direct tandem and are clustered in the parasite genome. All repeats appear to belong to a single family although some elements have diverged significantly. The repeats are present in about 15,000 copies and constitute approximately 3.0% of the parasite genome. The cloned repetitive sequence hybridized only to D. repens DNA and was sensitive enough to detect 250 to 500 pg of D. repens DNA, a single microfilariae in infected blood samples, and a single third stage larvae in mosquitoes. The high specificity and sensitivity of the cloned fragment makes it ideal as a diagnostic probe for detecting D. repens in both the host and the vector.DirofilariasisDirofilaria-geneticsDirofilaria-isolation and purificationDirofilariasis-diagnosisDog Diseases-diagnosisDNA-analysisDNA-chemistryDNA Probes-chemistryRepetitive Sequences, Nucleic AcidArticleParasitology