The development of nonradioactive total genomic probes for strain and egg differentiation in taeniid cestodes.

Purified total genomic DNA labeled with photobiotin was used as a probe for the identification and differentiation of strains of Echinococcus granulosus and to distinguish between the morphologically identical eggs of 2 taeniid species. Such biotinylated probes are easily prepared and can be utilized effectively for rapid screening and identification of taeniid isolates by dot and Southern blotting. The use of total genomic DNA probes in high stringency hybridizations obviates the need for cloned sequences and has great potential for field use.