DIFFERENTIATION OF THE OSTRICH (STRUTHIO- CAMELUS) AND EMU (DROMAIUS-NOVAEHOLLANDIAE) SPECIES BY POLYMERASE-CHAIN-REACTION - PART I - PCR ON THE MUSCULAR TISSUE OF STRUTHIO-CAMELUS

Through Polymerase Chain Reaction a 522 bp fragment of the gene for th e b cytochrome of the mitochondrial DNA of the Ostrich (Struthio camel us) was amplified using a new primers pair, which would theoretically permit to identify the Ostrich and differentiate it from the Emu (Drom aius novaehollandiae), giving a different fragment depending on the sp ecies without the addition of other techniques such as, e.g., the frag ment digestion by means of suitable restriction enzymes.