Application of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay to the study of mites related to allergic diseases

In this study, the conditions for the successful application of the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay to differentiate mite populations based on genetic variation were defined. Five species of mites related to allergic diseases were studied: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, D. farinae (2 strains), Blomia tropical is, Glycyphagus domesticus and Tyrophagus putrescentiae. The mites were isolated from pure cultures and processed according to the method described in this paper. The banding patterns obtained were different for all the species studied. When the DNA from two different strains of D. farinae were studied, the "fingerprint" banding patterns obtained showed differences between them. The random amplified polymorphic DNA assay may be a useful tool to aid the taxonomic study of mite populations.