Fourteen species of parasitic nematodes (order Strongylida) were characterized using a polymerase
chain reaction-linked single strand conformation polymorphism technique (PCR-SSCP). The rDNA
region spanning the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) was amplified from parasite DNA
by PCR. The PCR products were then denatured and subjected to electrophoresis on a nondenaturing
gel matrix. PCR-SSCP of the single stranded ITS-2 molecules generated characteristic
and reproducible patterns for each species, and allowed the rapid delineation of all of the 14
species in one step. The method also allowed the display of variation in patterns within some
species between different geographical isolates. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of PCRSSCP
of ITS-2 for the rapid identification of nematode species and indicate its potential for resolving
variation in the ITS-2 sequence within a species