Molecular genomics resource for the parasitic nematode Spirocerca lupi: Identification of 149 microsatellite loci using FIASCO and next generation sequencing

Understanding genetic diversity and movement patterns in parasitic organisms is paramount to establish control and management strategies. In this study we developed a microsatellite resource as well as a diagnostic multiplex for the cosmopolitan parasitic nematode Spirocerca lupi, known to cause spirocercosis in canids. A combination of microsatellite enrichment and 454 sequencing was used to identify 149 unique microsatellite loci in S. lupi. Twenty loci were characterized further in two sampling sites in South Africa, with 10 loci identified as polymorphic (allele ranges from 4 to 17). These loci were designed into a single diagnostic multiplex suitable for species identification and population genetics studies. The markers were also successful in cross-species amplification in Cylicospirura felineus, Philonema oncorhynchi and Gongylonema pulchrum. Our resource provides a large set of candidate loci for a number of nematode studies as well as loci suitable for diversity and population genetics studies of S. lupi within the South African context as well as globally.