Detection of variable DNA repeats in diverse eukaryotic microorganisms by a single set of polymerase chain reaction primers

Abstract

We cloned and sequenced a variable DNA repeat from Trichomonas vaginalis, a flagellated protozoan parasite. Targeting of this repeat in the polymerase chain reaction resulted in complex and intense product patterns for a wide variety of eukaryotic microorganisms, including the pathogenic protozoan parasites T. vaginalis, Giardia lamblia, Leishmania donovani, three species of Trypanosoma, and four species of Acanthamoeba; the nonpathogenic protozoans, Paramecium tetraurelia and Tetrahymena thermophilia; and a yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Each microorganism exhibited a distinctive pattern of repeats. For example, a characteristic pattern was exhibited by six clinical T. vaginalis isolates. Eight G. lamblia isolates exhibited either one of two characteristic pattern types. There was no reaction with human DNA or DNA from the prokaryotes Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis. This approach may facilitate detection of a wide variety of eukaryotic microorganisms by use of a single primer set and holds promise for the development of typing schemes for both T. vaginalis and G. lamblia.