Use of PCR with the specific primers for discrimination of Nosema bombycis

The specific amplification by PCR using a pair of primers, KA101 and KAI02 (KAWAKAMI et al., 1995) was reinvestigated as to its ability to distinguish microsporidia belonging to genus Vairimorpha, Pleistophora and Nosema. DNA samples from microsporidia of genus Vairimorpha or Pleistophora so far tested, three species of Vairimorpha and one Pleistophora, failed to produce PCR products by those primers. Of Nosema spp., N. apis, N. furnaca/is, N. mylittensis and Nosema tyriae from cinnabar moth, Tyria jacobeae did not also produce any product. Microsporidian parasites isolated from silkworms infected with pebrine in the northern part of India (courtesy of Dr. A. K. Bansal) and in southern India (courtesy of Dr. KIYOsHI KAWAKAMI) and in China (courtesy of Dr. X. CHEN) gave PCR products by KA101 and KA102 primers. The results from our study suggest that PCR tests with the use of KA101 and KA102 primers are useful to distinguish highly virulent strains of N. bombycis in pebrine inspection.