Wasana Sukhumsirichart1, Sintawee Khuchareontaworn1, Nopporn Sarataphan2, Nareerat Viseshakul3, Kosum Chansiri1 1Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Sukhumvit 23, Bangkok 10110, Thailand; 2Parasitology Section, National Institute of Animal Health, Department of Livestocks, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, Bangkok 10900, Thailand; 3Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary, Mahidol University, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Abstract
PCR-based assay was developed and applied for detection of Trypanosoma evansi from different animals and vector including dairy and beef cattle, buffaloes, sows, hog deer and moquitoes. The primer set was developed from T. evansi-infected cattle that amplified 257 bp DNA fragment and could detect 1 pg of purified genomic DNA. No amplification was observed from other hemoparasites such as Babesia bovis, B. bigemina, Anaplasma marginale and Theileria spp. Using this specific primer pair, it was possible to identify T. evansi from infected blood and purified DNA prepared from mosquitoes and blood of mice which had been intraperitoneally injected with infected blood from dairy and beef cattle, buffaloes, sows and hog deer. The results revealed that the PCR-based assay was beneficial for detection of T. evansi among different animals and vector and useful for epidemiological study and designing rational trypanosomiasis control program.