Rusty J. Rodriguez Cindy K. Arakawa Jerri L Bartholomew 1995 <p class="abstract_block">The arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to generate a DNA marker specific for the myxosporean parasite<span>&nbsp;</span><i>Ceratomyxa shasta</i>. The [³²P]-labeled marker hybridized to purified<span>&nbsp;</span><i>C. shasta<span>&nbsp;</span></i>DNA and to parasite DNA combined with salmonid DNA in a dot blot assay, demonstrating its potential as a diagnostic tool. The amplified DNA segment was cloned and sequenced, and primers specific for the marker were designed. When these primers were used in a standard PCR assay, DNA was amplified from<span>&nbsp;</span><i>C. shasta</i><span>&nbsp;</span>and from infected fish tissues, but not from uninfected fish tissues or from 2 other myxosporean parasites. The sensitivity of the PCR assay will permit detection of low levels of<span>&nbsp;</span><i>C. shasta</i><span>&nbsp;</span>from infected fish or oligochaetes and will be useful in defining the parasite's life cycle as well as examining its impact on salmonid populations.</p> application/pdf 10.3354/dao021215 en Inter-Research Development of a DNA probe for the myxosporean parasite, Ceratomyxa shasta, using the polymerase chain reaction with arbitrary primers article