Molecular Diagnosis of Baylisascaris schroederi Infections in Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) Feces Using PCR.

The article discusses a study that developed a sensitive and efficient polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for the diagnosis of parasitic infestations from fecal samples of bears. A set of PCR primers was designed to specifically amplify a 291 base pair DNA fragment of 12S rRNA of the Baylisascaris schroederi mitochondrial genome. The primers were used to detect specifically B. schroederi eggs in giant panda fecal samples.