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A tale of the traded cat: development of a rapid real-time PCR diagnostic test to distinguish between lion and tiger bone

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Abstract

A rapid allelic discrimination real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay has been developed for the confirmation of lion (Panthera leo) or tiger (P. tigris) DNA. The method includes a low cost allele specific PCR assay designed for each SNP variant where the genotype is determined by incorporation and subsequent fluorescence of FAM or HEX following PCR. The described method was able to accurately and rapidly distinguish between the two species, and all three mitochondrial regions (16S, 12S and control region) performed equally well. The proposed real-time PCR assay can be applied for the accurate confirmation of either lion or tiger DNA that could be used by law enforcement agencies around the world as a tool to monitor illegal trade of tiger bones.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded directly by National Zoological Gardens of South Africa and TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network with additional support from The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Wildlife TRAPS Project implemented by TRAFFIC and IUCN. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of USAID.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Zoological Garden, South African National Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 754, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Desiré L. Dalton, Antoinette Kotzé, Marli De Bruyn, Clearance Mnisi & Monica Mwale

  2. Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa

    Desiré L. Dalton

  3. Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa

    Antoinette Kotzé

  4. TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

    Ross McEwing

  5. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Private Bag 1015, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa

    Monica Mwale

Authors
  1. Desiré L. Dalton
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  2. Antoinette Kotzé
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  3. Ross McEwing
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  4. Marli De Bruyn
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  5. Clearance Mnisi
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  6. Monica Mwale
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Correspondence to Desiré L. Dalton.

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Dalton, D.L., Kotzé, A., McEwing, R. et al. A tale of the traded cat: development of a rapid real-time PCR diagnostic test to distinguish between lion and tiger bone. Conservation Genet Resour 12, 29–31 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-018-1060-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-018-1060-x

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