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- Title
Detection of a gypsy-like sequence in the genome of the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché 1835).
- Authors
A. Dahl; F. Krämer; T. Schnieder
- Abstract
Abstract??Thegypsyvirus ofDrosophila melanogasteris the first identified retrovirus of insects. Its infectious properties have been reported, and it is able to cause diverse mutations of the phenotype in the fruit fly. As a typical endogenous retrovirus, it is transmitted vertically as part of the host genome, but horizontal transmission has also been shown for theD. melanogaster gypsyvirus. Using polymerase chain reaction with degenerate primers designed from thegypsyelement ofDrosophila subobscura, agypsy-like sequence was amplified from the genome of the cat fleaCtenocephalides felisin a pool of laboratory and field strains. High identities with othergypsy-like sequences ofDrosophilaspp. can be detected. In contrast to some of thesegypsysequences, the 410-bp fragment ofC. felispossesses two deletions, which are localised in theenvgene region. Because of these deletions and the lack of virus particles inC. felis, the criteria for host infectivity are not fulfiled. Nevertheless, the general detection of agypsy-like sequence inC. felisand the capability of the ectoparasite to act as transmitter of viral diseases can be of importance for the cat flea?s position in the epidemiology of diseases, which are accompanied by a higher rate of mutation.
- Subjects
CAT flea; GENOMES; INSECT viruses; RETROVIRUSES
- Publication
Parasitology Research, 2007, Vol 100, Issue 2, p311
- ISSN
0932-0113
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00436-006-0249-1