PCR Amplification of Mitochondrial Cytochrome B Gene of Animals in Malaysia

The aim of this study is to acquiring basic data for identifying blood meal species of vector arthropods in Malaysia by amplify and sequence the mtDNA cytb gene of captive and domestic animals. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) using universal primers complementary to the conserved region of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b (cytb) gene fragment, was performed on DNA of blood samples of 27 captive and domestic animals in Malaysia. DNA of hosts was amplified by PCR and the products were visualized on gel electrophoresis. Twenty two sequences were obtained and compared with sequences registered in GenBank using a BLAST program. The percentage of similarity between the study species and GenBank species was in the range of 78 - 100%. Four sequences had no significant similarity and 3 species were mismatched with other species in the range of 78 - 89% similarity. Nine new gene sequences with accession number JQ812112 (Prionailurus bengalensis), JQ812113 (Prionailurus bengalensis), JQ812114 (Tapirus
indicus), JQ812115 (Oryx dammah), JQ812116 (Macaca nemestrina), JQ409474 (Panthera tigris 2), JQ409475 (Panthera tigris 1), JQ409476 (Panthera tigris 4) and JQ409477 (Malayan Elephant) had been deposited in GenBank. These results will contribute to develop the GenBank database and can be applied for further epidemiological studies on vector borne diseases in tropical countries including Malaysia.