Abstract
This brief communication reports the identification of microsatellite loci in the economically important tick species Boophilus microplus. The data are potentially useful in distinguishing different strains of B. microplus. Eight polymorphic loci were isolated in larvae, male and female adults analysed individually from 12 field isolates and laboratory strains from Australia (n = 8), Brazil, Mexico, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe. Nucleotide sequencing of alleles at these microsatellite loci revealed that non-repeat bases interrupted dinucleotide and tetranucleotide repeats in some loci. Loci with non-repeat bases interrupting them were shorter compared with loci that were not interrupted. Thus the presence of non-repeat bases in a repeated sequence seems to constrain the evolution of additional repeats by slip-strand misparing at these loci.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bull, C.M., Andrews, R.H. and Adams, M. 1984. Patterns of genetic variation in a group of parasites, the Australian reptile ticks. Heredity 53: 509–525.
Delaye, C., Aeschlimann, A., Renaud, F. and De Meeus, T. 1997. Population genetic structure of Ixodes ricinus in Switzerland from allozyme data: no evidence of divergence between nearby sites. Int. J. Parasitol. 27: 769–773.
Delaye, C., Aeschlimann, A., Renaud, F., Rosenthal, B. and De Meeus, T. 1998. Isolation and B. and characterisation of microsatellite markers in the Ixodes ricinus complex (Acari: lxodidae). Mol. Ecol. 7: 357–363.
Ferraris, J.D. and Palumbi, S.R. 1996. Molecular Zoology: Advances, Strategies and Protocols. Wiley-Liss, New York, Brisbane, Toronto.
Hantula, J., Dusabenyagasani, M. and Hamelin, R.C. 1996. Random amplified microsatellites (RAMS)-a novel method for characterising genetic variation within fungi. Eur. J. Forestry Pathol. 26: 159–166.
Hilburn L.R. and Slatter P.W. 1986a. Electrophoretically detectable protein variation in natural populations of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae). Heredity 57: 67–74.
Hilburn, L.R. and Slatter, P.W. 1986b. Are tick populations really less variable and should they be? Heredity 57: 113–117.
Hilburn, L.R., Gunn, S.J. and Castillo, C. 1989. Comparison of isoenzyme phenotypes of themorphologically similar ticks, Amblyomma cajennense and A. imitator (Acari: Ixodidae) from South Texas. J. Med. Entomol. 26: 23–29.
Kain, D.E., Sperling, F.A.H. and Lane, R.S. 1997. Population genetic structure of Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) using allozymes. J. Med. Entomol. 34: 441–450.
Lan, M., Sheng, W., Huang, C., Gu, X., Jiang, Y., Zhao, Y. and Lu, W. 1996. RAPD-PCR method for detecting DNA polymorphism in Boophilus microplus (Acari: lxodidae). Syst.Appl. Acarol. 1: 11–14.
Ochanda, H., Young, A.S., Medley, G.F. and Perry, B.D. 1998. Vector competence of seven rhipicephalid tick stocks in transmitting two Theileria parva parasite stocks from Kenya and Zimbabwe. Parasitology 116: 539–545.
Walsh, P.S., Metzger, D.A. and Higuchi, R. 1991. Chelex 100 as a medium for simple extraction of DNA for PCR-based typing from forensic material. Biotechniques 10: 506–513.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chigagure, N.N., Baxter, G.D. & Barker, S.C. Microsatellite Loci of the Cattle Tick Boophilus Microplus (Acari: Ixodidae). Exp Appl Acarol 24, 951–956 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010732024895
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010732024895