A DNA probe specific to pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica
Cruz-Reyes, J.A.; Ackers, J.P.
Archives of Medical Research 23(2): 271-275
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0188-4409 PMID: 1340313 Document Number: 391663
A DNA sequence, IE-gen1 (3.1 kb), was isolated from the pathogenic strain of Entamoeba histolytica NIH-200. IE-gen1 was identified by the subtractive hybridization of a genomic library to a cDNA probe prepared from NIH-200 trophozoites. The IE-gen1 probe specifically detected pathogenic E. histolytica in slot blots of genomic DNA and Northern blots, but not other Entamoeba species and additional human parasites. This genomic probe could detect with complete specificity DNA from about 10superscript 3 organisms. The IE-gen1 probe could be related to highly specialized loci in pathogenic E. histolytica, and is likely to be a valuable DNA reagent for clinical diagnosis and epidemiological investigations.