The mitochondrial genome of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus-diagnostic, epidemiological and systematic implications

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (Railliet, 1898) is a metastrongylid nematode of major clinical relevance in felids, causing aelurostrongylosis. In spite of its clinical importance in cats, the genetics, epidemiology and biology of this parasite are not entirely understood. mt DNA can provide markers for studies of these areas, but genetic data are scant for A. abstrusus and related lungworms. Here, the mt genome was amplified by long-range polymerase chain reaction (long-PCR) from a single male adult of A. abstrusus, sequenced using 454 technology and annotated using an established bioinformatic pipeline. This circular mt genome is 13,913 bp and contains two ribosomal RNA, 12 protein-coding and 22 transfer RNA genes, consistent with most other chromadorean nematodes. This genome should provide a source of markers for future investigations of the epidemiology and ecology of A. abstrusus. Molecular tools, employing such mt markers, are likely to find utility for explorations into the epidemiology, biology and systematics of this parasite, and the diagnosis of feline aelurostrongylosis.