Use of PCR for detection of subpatent infections of lizard malaria: implications for epizootiology

Abstract

The estimated prevalence of a malaria parasite, Plasmodium mexicanum , of western fence lizards, Sceloporus occidentalis , was compared using two techniques: microscopic examination of blood smears, and nested PCR amplification of the 18S small subunit rRNA gene. Two sites in northern California, USA were investigated, one with known long‐term high prevalence of the parasite (30% by blood smear scanning), and one with low prevalence (6%). The nested PCR readily detected very low‐level infections (

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