Genetic polymorphism, gene transcription, and tissue localization of Dirofilaria immitis P-glycoprotein 11: a putative marker of macrocyclic lactone resistance.

Dirofilaria immitis causes dirofilaroisis, a potentially fatal condition in canids. Dirofilaria infections can be prevented with a macrocyclic lactone (ML) prophylactic regimen. However, some D. immitis isolates have became resistant to MLs. Genetic changes on the P-glycoprotein 11 gene, encoding an ABCB transporter, have been linked to the ML-resistant phenotypes and have been proposed as markers of drug resistance. However, nothing is known about the expression of this transporter in D. immitis, despite being strongly linked to ML-resistant phenotypes.As part of a larger study we examined the DimPgp-11 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) via MiSeq analysis in the ML-susceptible Missouri, MP3, and Yazoo; and the ML-resistant JYD-34 and Metairie and coellated the data with previously published MiSeq results of USA laboratory-maintained D. immitis isolates.