Genus-specific PCR for the differentiation of eggs or larvae from gastrointestinal nematodes of ruminants.

Using sequences of the ribosomal second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2), PCR primers were designed for the differentiation of the gastrointestinal nematode genera Ostertagia, Cooperia, Nematodirus, Haemonchus and Trichostrongylus. Single eggs or larvae from faeces could be differentiated without previous DNA extraction. Quantification of the PCR result proved to be difficult because the DNA content between eggs from fresh or 24-h-old faeces varied considerably.