Detection of genomic variability in different populations of the cattle tick Boophilus microplus in southern Brazil

DNA from seven isolates of the cattle tick Boophilus microplus was analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Three different cDNA c lones, named P-9, P-25 and CP-12, isolated from a B. microplus cDNA library , were used as DNA probes. DNA sequences of P-9 have high similarity to rib osomal genes, whereas P-25 does not show significant homology with known se quences within databases. CP-12 is a cDNA clone encoding a cysteine endopep tidase gene. A limited degree of polymorphism was detected with P-9 and P-2 5, while CP-12 showed a different pattern of bands for each tick isolate. T hese findings suggest the existence of a complex genotypic diversity of the tick B. microplus population in endemic regions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.