ARS | Publication request: A progression of molecular genetic tools for identifying screwworm myiasis

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: September 24, 2012
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) Diptera: Calliphoridae), is a devastating pest of all warm blooded animals. Successful eradication of the screwworm has been achieved from continental North America. Maintaining a barrier against reinfestation by screwworms requires rapid, accurate identification. Early stages of screwworm are difficult to distinguish from other wound inhabiting flies. Therefore, several molecular genetic techniques have been studied to determine their effectiveness and efficiency in identifying screwworms. Some of the techniques showed promise in not only accurately identifying screwworms but also for indicating the geographic origin of the samples. The techniques of PCR-RFLP of mitochondrial DNA, random amplified polymorphic DNA, and amplified fragment length polymorphism have been compared using screwworms sampled from multiple geographic origins and will be discussed.