USING MOLECULAR TOOLS FOR DIAGNOSIS IN VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY

The development of molecular biology has made available tools that ide ntify parasites which are important in veterinary parasitology. PCR (p olymerase chain reaction) is the most frequently used tool. Target seq uences are ribosomal DNA and RNA as well as fragments derived from RAP D (random amplified polymorphic DNA). The most studied protozoan gener a have been: Eimeria, Babesia, Theileria, Trypanosoma and Cryptosporid ium. Trichinella species and ruminant Trichostrongylid parasites have been the most investigated helminths. The use of molecular tools for i dentification in veterinary parasitology, however, remains a research technique rather than one that is currently used in the field for diag nostic purposes.