Gasser Robin B, Bott Nathan J, Chilton Neil B, Hunt Peter, Beveridge Ian
Department of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia.
Biotechnol Adv. 2008 Jul-Aug;26(4):325-34. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2008.03.003. Epub 2008 Apr 8.
Parasitic nematodes of livestock have a major economic impact worldwide. In spite of the health problems caused by nematodes and advances toward the development of vaccines and new therapeutic agents against some of them, relatively limited attention has been paid to the need for improved, practical methods of diagnosis. Accurate diagnosis and genetic characterization of parasitic nematodes of livestock are central to their effective control, particularly given the current, serious problems with anthelmintic resistance in nematode populations. Traditional diagnostic techniques have considerable limitations, and there have been some advances toward the development of molecular-diagnostic tools. This article provides a brief account of the significance of parasitic nematodes (order Strongylida), reviews the techniques that have been evaluated or used for diagnosis and describes developments in polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods for the specific diagnosis of nematode infection/s and the genetic characterisation of the causative agents. The advances made in recent years provide a solid foundation for the development of practical, highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tools for epidemiological investigations and for use in control programmes.
家畜寄生线虫在全球范围内造成重大经济影响。尽管线虫会引发健康问题，且针对其中一些线虫的疫苗和新型治疗药物的研发取得了进展，但对于改进实用诊断方法的需求，人们的关注相对有限。家畜寄生线虫的准确诊断和基因特征分析是有效控制它们的关键，特别是考虑到目前线虫群体中抗驱虫药的严重问题。传统诊断技术有很大局限性，分子诊断工具的开发取得了一些进展。本文简要阐述了寄生线虫（圆线目）的重要性，回顾了已评估或用于诊断的技术，并描述了基于聚合酶链反应（PCR）的方法在特定诊断线虫感染及病原体基因特征分析方面的进展。近年来取得的进展为开发用于流行病学调查和控制计划的实用、高灵敏度和特异性诊断工具奠定了坚实基础。
