Study on Distribution of Four Pseudomonas Species in Living Environment Using Multiplex PCR

Purpose: The genus Pseudomonas is a ubiquitous microorganism frequently detected from immunocompromised patients. The inherent resistance to numerous antimicrobial agents contributes to the opportunistic character of this pathogen exhaustive monitoring of this pathogen is considered of critical importance to public health organizations. The reliable identification method able to distinguish genetic close Pseudomonas species is needed, because these organisms are difficult to differentiate by phenotypic or biochemical methods. The purpose of the present study was to design species-specific primers in order to identify and detect four Pseudomonas species which are frequently detected from the human oral cavities, and to investigate the distribution of these organisms in the living environment using a multiplex PCR. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed based on partial sequences of the rpoD gene of four Pseudomonas species. Swab samples were collected from fifty washstands, and the distribution of Pseudomonas species was investigated using a conventional PCR at genus level and a multiplex PCR at species level. Results: Multiplex PCR method developed in this study was able to distinguish four Pseudomonas species clearly. The genus Pseudomonas was detected from all samples (100%), whereas P. putida, P, aeruginosa, P. stutzeri and P. fluorescens were detected at 44%, 8%, 4% and 2% in fifty swab samples, respectively. Conclusion: Our developed one-step multiplex PCR method is accurate, specific, cost-effective, time-saving, and works without requiring DNA extraction. It was indicated that washstands were the uninhabitable environment for P. putida, P, aeruginosa, P. stutzeri and P. fluorescens.

Study on Distribution of Acinetobacter baumannii Complex in Dental Hospital Using Multiplex PCR

Purpose: In recent years, multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has appeared and caused outbreaks of hospital infections all over the world. Close monitoring of this pathogen and other A. baumanii complex species is considered of critical importance to public health organizations. The reliable identification method able to distinguish A. baumannii from genetically close Acinetobacter species is needed, because these species are unable to be differentiated by phenotypic or biochemical methods. The purpose of the present study was to design species-specific primers in order to identify and detect A. baumanii complex species, and Acinetobacter lwoffii which is frequently detected from the human specimens, and to investigate the distribution of these organisms in dental hospital using a multiplex PCR. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed based on partial sequences of the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene and DNA gyrase subunit B (gyrB) of each species of A. baumanii complex species. Swab samples were collected from ten dental spittoon units in dental hospital, and the distribution of A. baumanii complex species was investigated using a multiplex PCR. Results: These primers were able to distinguish each species of A. baumanii complex species clearly. A. baumanii and A. calcoaceticus were detected at 20.0% and 10.0% in ten swab samples, respectively. On the other hand, A. nosocomialis, A. lowffii, and A. pittii were detected from no sample. Conclusion: Our developed one-step multiplex PCR method is accurate, specific, cost-effective, time-saving, and worked without requiring DNA extraction.

One Step Multiplex PCR for Identification of Candida haemulonii complex and Candia auris

Purpose: Recently, Candida haemulonii complex (Candida haemulonii, Candida duobushaemulonii and Candida haemulonii var. vulnera) and two genetically close species (Candida pseudohaemulonii and Candida auris) have emerged as an opportunistic fungal pathogen associated with various infectious diseases of humans, and most of those isolates have displayed antifungal resistance. Because it is difficult to differentiate these microorganisms by a current technique, unfortunately, it is important to establish a method for identifying them accurately. The purpose of the present study was to design species-specific primers in order to identify and detect C. auris, C. pseudohaemulonii, and C. haemulonii complex, i.e. , C. haemulonii, C. duobushaemulonii and C. haemulonii var. vulnera using a multiplex PCR. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed based on partial sequences of the 26S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and RPB1 genes and ITS region of five Candida species. Results: The multiplex PCR method developed in this study was able to distinguish five Candida species clearly. Conclusion: Our developed one-step multiplex PCR method is accurate, specific, cost-effective, time-saving, and works without requiring DNA extraction.

Multiplex PCR for Identification and Detection of Cassava Mosaic Begomoviruses in Togo

Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) caused by Cassava Mosaic Begomoviruses (CMBs) is one of the most devastating crop diseases and a major constraint for cassava production. In order to ensure surveillance for epidemic prevention, low-cost diagnostic tools are appropriate for large-scale testing of cassava viruses. Multiplex PCR diagnosis is one approach that can reduce diagnostic costs and delays. A multiplex PCR approach was developed for simultaneous detection of African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV), East African Cassava Mosaic Virus and East African cassava mosaic Cameroon virus (EACMV/CM) in Togo CMD-infected cassava leaves. Three primers pairs were used to target their respective viruses in a single tube PCR. Multiplex PCR detected ACMV, EACMV and EACMV/CM in plant DNA extracts prepared from cassava leaves infected with CMB. The primers amplified 783 bp specific to ACMV, 650 bp specific to EACMV and 560 bp specific to EACMCV/CM in both uniplex and multiplex formats. Multiplex PCR is an excellent tool for the effective control of cassava diseases. .

Detection of Genetically Modified Crops by Combination of Multiplex PCR and Low-density DNA Microarray

Objective To develop a technique for simultaneous detection of various target genes in Roundup Ready soybean by combining multiplex PCR and low-density DNA microarray. Methods Two sets of the multiplex PCR system were used to amplify the target genes in genetically modified （GM） soybean. Seventeen capture probes （PCR products） and 17 pairs of corresponding primers were designed according to the genetic characteristics of Rroundup Ready soybean （GTS40-3-2）, maize （MonS10, Nk603, GA21）, canola （T45, MS1/RF1）, and rice （SCK） in many identified GM crops. All of the probes were categorized and identified as species-specific probes. One negative probe and one positive control probe were used to assess the efficiency of all reactions, and therefore eliminate any false positive and negative results. After multiplex PCR reaction, amplicons were adulterated with Cy5-dUTP and hybridized with DNA microarray. The array was then scanned to display the specific hybridization signals of target genes. The assay was applied to the analysis of sample of certified transgenic soybean （Roundup Ready GTS40-3-2） and canola （MS1/RF1）. Results A combination technique of multiplex PCR and DNA microarray was successfully developed to identify multi-target genes in Roundup Ready soybean and MS 1/RF1 canola with a great specificity and reliability. Reliable identification of genetic characteristics of Roundup Ready of GM soybean from genetically modified crops was achieved at 0.5% transgenic events, indicating a high sensitivity. Conclusion A combination technique of multiplex PCR and low-density DNA microarray can reliably detect and identify the genetically modified crops.

Simultaneous Detection of 13 Key Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens by Combination of Multiplex PCR and Capillary Electrophoresis

Objective Lower respiratory tract infections continue to pose a significant threat to human health. It is important to accurately and rapidly detect respiratory bacteria. To compensate for the limits of current respiratory bacteria detection methods, we developed a combination of multiplex polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and capillary electrophoresis （MPCE） assay to detect thirteen bacterial pathogens responsible for lower respiratory tract infections, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catorrholis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella spp., Bordetella pertussis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Corynebactefium diphthefiae, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Methods Three multiplex PCR reactions were built, and the products were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis using the high-throughput DNA analyzer. The specificity of the MPCE assay was examined and the detection limit was evaluated using DNA samples from each bacterial strain and the simulative samples of each strain. This assay was further evaluated using 152 clinical specimens and compared with real-time PCR reactions. For this assay, three nested-multiplex-PCRs were used to detect these clinical specimens. Results The detection limits of the MPCE assay for the 13 pathogens were very low and ranged from 10-7 to 10-2 ng/μL. Furthermore, analysis of the 252 clinical specimens yielded a specificity ranging from 96.5%-100.0%, and a sensitivity of 100.0% for the 13 pathogens. Conclusion This study revealed that the MPCE with high specificity and sensitivity. This assay survey of respiratory pathogens. assay is a rapid, reliable, and high-throughput method has great potential in the molecular epidemiological.

Identification and Detection of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in Infected and Subclinically Infected Pigs by Multiplex PCR Based on the Genes ApxIVA and OmlA

PCRs based on different genes of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae have been developed for detecting and identifying A. pleuropneumoniae. Some of them could amplify positive fragments from the phylogenetically closely related species bacteria. To improve veracity and specificity of PCR, a species-specific multiplex PCR assay was developed to identify and detect A. pleuropneumoniae, based on the 3＇-terminus of the species-specific apxlVA gene and the already existing species-specific primers in the omlA gene. Both 346-bp and 950-bp fragments could be simultaneously amplified from all A. pleuropneumoniae reference strains and isolates, and the species specificity of the assay was evaluated with a collection of ten strains representing eight different species bacteria including species normally found in the respiratory tracts of swine. All of these strains turned out negative in the multiplex PCR. All sequences of products of multiplex PCR randomly sampled were also correct. The sensitivity of the multiplex PCR was determined to be 10 pg of A. pleuropneumoniae DNA. The multiplex PCR and bacterial isolation were compared to determine their sensitivities by using experimentally infected pigs and clinical disease pigs. The multiplex PCR was more sensitive than bacterial isolation. The multiplex PCR was also evaluated on mixed bacterial cultures from clinical healthy pigs. 26/100 （26%） of the subclinically infected pigs were detected from clinical healthy pigs. The results indicate that the multiplex PCR assay is a sensitive, highly specific, and effective diagnostic tool for identification and detection of A. pleuropneumoniae.

Rapid Detection of Haemophilus influenzae and Haemophilus parainfluenzae in Nasopharyngeal Swabs by Multiplex PCR

Objective To establish multiplex PCR-based assays for detecting H.influenzae and H.parainfluenzae. And the PCR-based assays were applied to detect the carriage rates of H.influenzae and H.parainfluenzae in nasopharyngeal swab specimens which were collected from healthy children. Methods Multiplex primers for species-specific PCR were designed by using DNAstar soft based on the sequences of 165 rRNA genes from genus Haemophilus to detect H.influenzae and H.parainfluenzae. Results The sensitivity of the 165 rRNA PCR assay for detecting H.influenzae and H.parainfluenzae was 97.53% and 100% respectively, and the specificity was 95.89% and 96.63% respectively. Youden＇s Index on the ability to detect H.influenzae and H.parainfluenzae was 0.9342 and 0.9663 respectively. 666 nasopharyngeal swab specimens were collected from healthy children. The detection rates of H.influenzae and H.parainfluenzae were 14.11% and 16.07% respectively by using isolation and culture methods. The detection rates of H.influenzae and H.parainfluenzae were 43.54% and 57.96% respectively by 165 rRNA PCR assays. The carriage rates of serotypes a, b, c, d, e, f and non-typeable isolates were 0% （0/666）, 0.15% （1/666）, 1.20% （8/666）, 0.15% （1/666）, 1.20% （8/666）, 1.80% （12/666）, 95.50% （636/666） respectively. Conclusion The multiplex PCR assays were very rapid, reliable and feasible methods for detection of H.influenzae and H.parainfluenzae in pharyngeal swab specimens which were compared to conventional isolation and culture methods. 95.5% of H.influenzae strains in healthy children were nontypeable. The encapsulated or typable strains were mainly three serotypes which was c, e, and f serotype.

Development of a Multiplex PCR for Diagnosis of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus from Cows with Endometritis

Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus are the major agents of cow endometritis in dairy cows. A multiplex PCR （SEB-mPCR） was established based on the conserved genes of S. aureus, E. coli and B. cereus, and the detection limits were 103, 102 and 103 CFU mL-1, respectively. SEB-mPCR could not amplify genomic DNA of pathogenic bacteria of other common bovine diseases. A total of 309 vaginal discharge samples from cows with endometritis were tested by SEB-mPCR. Of the samples, 23.95% had the three kinds of bacteria detected, 17.15% had S. aureu and E. coli, 9.39% had E. coli and B. cereus, and 9.71% had S. aureus and B. cereus. The rates of infections with S. aureus, E. coli and B. cereus were 11.35, 16.18 and 9.06%, respectively. Therefore, SEB-mPCR has a potential as a diagnosis tool for endometritis in dairy cows.

Comparative evaluation of microscopy,OptiMAL® and 18S rRNA gene based multiplex PCR for detection of Plasmodium falciparum & Plasmodium vivax from field isolates of Bikaner,India

Objective:To evaluate microscopy,OptiMAL? and multiplex PCR for the identification of Plasmodium falciparum（P.falciparum） and Plasmodium vivax（P.vivax） from the field isolates of Bikaner,Rajasthan（Northwest India）.Methods:In this study,a multiplex PCR（P.falciparum and P.vivax） was further developed with the incorporation of Plasmodium malariae（P.malariae） specific primer and also a positive control.The performance of microscopy,plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase（pLDH） based malaria rapid diagnostic test OptiMAL? and 18S rRNA gene based multiplex PCR for the diagnosis of P.falciparum and P.vivax was compared.Results:The three species multiplex PCR if.falciparum,P.vivax and P.malariae) with an inbuilt positive control was developed and evaluated.In comparison with multiplex PCR,which showed the sensitivity and specificity of 99.36%（95%CI,98.11%-100.00%） and 100.00%（95%CI,100.00%-100.00%）,the sensitivity and specificity of microscopy was 90.44%（95%CI,88.849-95.04%） and 99.22%（95% CI,97.71%-100.00%）,and OptiMAL? was 93.58%（95%CI,89.75%-97.42%） and 97.69%（95%CI, 95.10%-100.00%）.The efficiencies were 99.65%,95.10%and 95.45%for multiplex PCK.microscopy and OptiMAL?.respectively.Conclusions:Our results raise concerns over the overall sensitivities of microscopy and OptiMAL?,when compared to the multiplex PCR and thus stress the need for new molecular interventions in the accurate detection of the malarial parasites.This further highlights the fact that further developments are needed to improve the performance of rapid diagnostic tests at field level.

Hepatitis B virus in cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with purulent bacterial meningitis detected by multiplex-PCR:A case report

BACKGROUND Bacterial meningitis(BM)is a common central nervous system inflammatory disease.BM may cause serious complications,and early diagnosis is essential to improve the prognosis of affected patients.CASE SUMMARY A 37-year-old man was hospitalized with purulent meningitis because of worsening headache for 12 h,accompanied by vomiting,fever,and rhinorrhea.Head computed tomography showed a lesion in the left frontal lobe.Infectious disease screening showed positivity for hepatitis B surface antigen,hepatitis B e antigen,and hepatitis B core antigen.Cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)leak was suspected based on clinical history.Streptococcus pneumoniae(S.pneumoniae)was detected in CSF by metagenomic next-generation sequencing(mNGS)technology,confirming the diagnosis of purulent BM.After treatment,multiplex PCR indicated the presence of hepatitis B virus(HBV)DNA and absence of S.pneumoniae DNA in CSF samples.CONCLUSION We report a rare case of HBV in the CSF of a patient with purulent BM.Multiplex PCR is more sensitive than mNGS for detecting HBV DNA.

Establishment of Multiplex PCR for Simultaneous Detection of Four Venereal Pathogens

Venereal diseases are considered to be the most prevalent infectious diseases in the worldwide. China is now faced with a year-by-year increasing incidence of sexually transmitted diseases （STD）, which are spreading from high-risk groups to the general population. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and herpes simplex virus-2 （HSV-2） are always regarded as the most common venereal pathogens. The ＂golden standard＂ for testing Neisseria gonorrhoeae remains to be bacteria culture or microscopic examination.

Multiplex PCR assay for discrimination of Centrocestus caninus and Stellantchasmus falcatus

Objective: To develop the multiplex PCR method based on the internal transcribed spacer 2 to discriminate the intestinal trematodes, Centrocestus caninus(C. caninus), and Stellantchasmus falcatus(S. falcatus).Methods: Four species of heterophyid trematodes including C. caninus, S. falcatus,Haplorchis taichui and Haplorchoides sp. were amplified and the specific primer was designed based on the internal transcribed spacer 2 region. Two specific primers were used to validate the optimized PCR conditions: the specificity test and the sensitivity test.Results: Both of these specific primers confirmed the specificity through multiplex PCR reaction which generated both PCR products(231 and 137 bp) in the mixed DNA template of C. caninus and S. falcatus with no cross-reaction with other heterophyid trematodes. The optimum annealing temperature of both primers was 54–59℃. The sensitivity test used the two-fold serial dilution DNA template, which was concentrated between 10 and 0.312 5 ng/mL. The lowest concentration of the DNA template of this multiplex PCR was 2.5 ng/mL.Conclusions: The technique described here proved to be a species-specific technique and was found to be a rapid method for the diagnosis of C. caninus and S. falcatus in terms of the larval and adult stages in intermediate and/or definitive hosts in the endemic area.

Establishment of microsatellite-based triplex PCR for parentage analysis of Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis

Through exploring the microsatellite primers from the random genome sequences of Chinese shrimp （Fenneropenaeus chinensis）, some microsatellite primers were obtained with rich polymorphic genetic information, and a triplex PCR was established using three primers （RS1101, RS0683 and H081 primers）. By adjusting the final concentration of Mg^2＋, dNTP and primers, and using a touch-town PCR program, the optimum amplification parameters of PCR system were obtained, which could successfully amplify the three primers in a PCR reaction. In the denatured PAGE gel, the amplified DNA fragments of three primers RS1 101,RS0683 and H081 could be easily identified each other. For the triplex PCR system, the PPE （probabilities of paternity exclusion） is 0.967 9,and the DP （discrimination power） is 0.999 327.Using the triplex PCR to test ten individuals of a parentage and their parents, an individual was excluded from the parentage in all of the three microsatellite loci, which might be mixed into the parentage for some unknown reason such as factitious misplay. The triplex PCR will be of great practical value in identifying the parentages of F. chinensis.

One-Step Multiplex PCR for Simultaneous Detection and Identification of Eight Medically Important <i>Candida</i>Species

Recently, the incidence of Candida infections has substantially increased. Conventional identification methods for Candida species are technically difficult to conduct and cannot accurately distinguish each species. The purpose of the present study was to design primers to identify and detect simultaneously eight medically important Candida species using one-step multiplex PCR. PCR primers were designed based on partial sequences of intergenic spacer (IGS) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genes of eight medically important Candida species. These primers were able to distinguish each Candida species and did not display cross-reactivity with representative Candida species other than the eight Candida species. Moreover, our developed one-step multiplex PCR method is accurate, specific, cost-effective, time-saving, and worked without requiring DNA extraction.

Optimization of Multiplex PCR Systems for Gene-chip Detection of Mutations in Exons in cTnI Gene Associated with FHCM

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is one of the diseases damaging people health most badly and some mutations of exons in cardiac troponin I (cTnI) gene are closely associated with family hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHCM).A microarray was fabricated to screen mutations in exons 3,5,7,and 8 in cTnI gene.Primers were designed for the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to amplify the target DNA fragments from fresh blood samples.In order to simplify the PCR process,multiplex PCR technology was investigated in detail.The concentration of Mg^(2+) played an important role in multiplex PCR process,a properly low concentration of Mg^(2+) submitted a better speciality of PCR products.The speciality was also favored when the annealing temperature was reasonably enhanced and 64℃is the optimal annealing temperature for the multiplex PCR systems.When applying the fabricated gene-chip to detect the target fragments from PCR mixture,the signal intensity sequence is in accordance with that from theoretic estimate.

Nested multiplex PCR for identification and detection of human Plasmodium species including Plasmodium knowlesi

Objective:To develop a new technique for diagnosis of Plasmodium knowlesi and at the same time to be able to discriminate among the diverse species of Plasmodium causing human malaria.Methods:In this study the nested multiplex malaria PCR was redesigned,targeting the 18S rR NA gene,to identify the fifth human Plasmodium species,Plasmodium knowlesi,together with the other human Plasmodium(Plasmodium falciparum,Plasmodium vivax,Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae)by amplified fragment size using only two amplification processes and including an internal reaction control to avoid false negatives.Results:The technique was validated with 91 clinical samples obtained from patients with malaria compatible symptoms.The technique showed high sensitivity(100%)and specificity(96%)when it was compared to the reference method employed for malaria diagnosis in the Instituto de Salud Carlos栿and a published real-time PCR malaria assay.Conclusions:The technique designed is an economical,sensitive and specific alternative to current diagnosis methods.Furthermore,the method might be tested in knowlesi-malaria endemic areas with a higher number of samples to confirm the quality of the method.

Clinical Identification of Common Species of Dermatophytes by PCR and PCR-RFLP

Summary: To find a fast and efficient way of identifying seven common dermatophytes in clinical practice, we used the techniques of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) targeting TopoisomeraseⅡgene. The DNA of 7 dermatophytes, along with Candida albicans, Aspergillus terreus and Aspergillus flavus were amplified by consensus primer dPsD1. They were then subjected to a second PCR with primers dPsD2 and species-specific primers PsT and PsME separately. 6 of the products generated by dPsD2 were digested with restriction enzyme HincⅡ. DNA fragments of 3390 bp and 2380 bp was amplified by using consensus primer dPsD1 and dPsD2 from the genomic DNA of each dermatophyte species separately. By combining the results of the two species-specific primer sets (PsT and PsME), all species of dermatophyte yielded unique sizes-set of PCR products expect for T. mentagrophytes and T. tonsurans. From the restriction profiles of HincⅡ, 6 of the 7 dermatophytoses were diagnosed to species level including T. mentagrophytes and T. tonsurans. By combining the results of the PCR and PCR-RFLP, the 7 common dermatophytes can be identified to species level. It is conclude that the multiplex PCR and PCR-RFLP identification targeting the DNA topoisomerase Ⅱ gene is rapid and efficient.

Multiplex PCR Sets of Novel Microsatellite Loci for Iwagaki Oyster Crassostrea nippona and Their Application in Parentage Assignment

Iwagaki oyster,Crassostrea nippona,widely distributes along the seashore of Eastern Asia,and has been considered to be a potential breeding species due to its delicious taste and high commercial value.In order to study its genetic background and population structure,we developed 46 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers using next-generation sequencing technique and characterized them in 30 individuals.The number of alleles ranged from 3 to 22,while the observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.133 to 1.000 and 0.455 to 0.949,respectively.Fifteen microsatellite markers were selected and grouped into five highly informative multiplex PCRs for C.nippona.We evaluated and validated these multiplex PCRs in a cultured population including 173 candidate parents and 486 offspring.In actual parentage analysis,80%of the offspring were correctly assigned to their parental pairs using three multiplex PCRs.Furthermore,the success rate of parentage assignment reached 96%when the other two multiplex PCRs were added.These 46 microsatellite loci with high variability and the five multiplex PCRs described here provide a powerful tool for pedigree reconstruction,resource conservation and selective breeding program of C.nippona.

Multiplex PCR Detection of Alleles Responsible for Benzimidazole- Susceptibility or -Resistance in Natural Populations of Haemonchus contortus

A multiplex PCR was developed to detect benzimidazole-resistance (BZ-R) or -susceptibility (BZ-S) in Haemonchus contortus by amplification with 4 primers of a sequence of the GRU-1 gene of β-tubulin of H. contortus making use of sequence information available in Genbank. The method was based on two allele-non-specific primers and two allele- specific primers. F1 (264 bp) and F3 (799 bp) should be produced in BZ-R, F2 (585 bp) and F3 in BZ-S. With this method, we demonstrated that H. contortus BZ-R strain from Australia showed F1 and F3, and the worm BZ-S strain from Shanghai did F2 and F3. Sequence analysis of the isotype 1 gene of β-tubulin of BZ-R from Australia and BZ-S from Shanghai showed the code in residue 200 of the gene was respectively TAC and TTC. The LD50 of albendazole of the Australian BZ- R strain was 0.54 μg mL-1, the Shanghai BZ-S strain was only 0.0023 μg mL-1 by EHA (egg hatch assay). The multiplex PCR could determinate the genotype of single adult worm or several third stage larvae and was performed on at least 50 ng of genomic DNA. BZ-R H. contortus were not detected in Shihezi and Yining of the Xinjiang, Wuhe of the Anhui Province, Nanjing and Xuzhou of the Jiangsu Province. The LD50 of the H. contortus from these locations to albendazole as determined by EHA varied between 0.0023-0.0032 μg mL-1. The result indicated that the multiplex PCR could be used to differentiate BZ-R and BZ-S of H. contortus and that the BZ-R situation of H. contortus was not serious in China.