Hammondia heydorni oocysts in the faeces of a greyhound in New Zealand

Abstract

AIMS: To identify oocysts found in faecal material of a greyhound.

METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing were used to study genomic DNA isolated from oocysts purified from faeces of a greyhound.

RESULTS: Database searches with the DNA sequences obtained showed they were derived from Hammondia heydorni. A species-specific PCR was developed to detect H. heydorni DNA.

CONCLUSIONS: Light microscopy in conjunction with PCR and DNA sequencing definitively identified the presence of H. heydorni oocysts in faeces of a greyhound.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study confirms the presence of H. heydorni in New Zealand and indicates the need to correctly identify similar oocysts from dogs, rather than assume they are Neospora caninum.

KEY WORDS::

• Hammondia heydorni
• Neospora caninum
• Toxoplasma gondii
• polymerase chain reaction
• PCR
• DNA sequencing
• ribosomal DNA