Comparative evaluation of two DNA isolation techniques for PCR-based diagnosis of gastrointestinal nematode infections in sheep

The specific diagnosis of gastrointestinal parasite infections in livestock is central to their control. PCR assays have been developed for routine diagnosis and to overcome limitations of classical methods. Central to the performance of such assays is the effective isolation of the nucleic acids from samples and the elimination of components that are inhibitory to PCR. Here, we directly compared two techniques for the isolation of DNA from strongylid nematode eggs from faecal samples from sheep, and assessed their performance in relation to the sensitivity and specificity of PCR, time required for DNA isolation and ease of use. The results showed differences in the performance of the two isolation techniques, subsequently effecting the PCR results. The main differences related to the time required for DNA isolation, and the elimination of inhibitory substances from the DNA isolated by one technique but not the other.