Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37328525›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2023

A new multiplex qPCR assay to detect and differentiate big cat species in the illegal wildlife trade.

Carol S Henger, Dyan J Straughan, Charles C Y Xu, Batya R Nightingale, Heidi E Kretser, Mary K Burnham-Curtis, Denise McAloose, Tracie A Seimon

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Combining detection dogs with air extraction methodology to expose wildlife trafficking in containerized cargo.Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology · 2026
    Article
  3. Real-time PCR to targetFood chemistry. Molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Carol S HengerZoological Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA. carolhenger1@gmail.com.
Dyan J StraughanOLE-National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashland, OR, USA.
Charles C Y XuRedpath Museum and Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Batya R NightingaleZoological Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA.
Heidi E KretserGlobal Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA.
Mary K Burnham-CurtisOLE-National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashland, OR, USA.
Denise McAlooseZoological Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA.
Tracie A SeimonZoological Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA.
Wildlife Conservation Society · USAshland (United States) · USLouisiana Department of Natural Resources · USMcGill University · CAUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

All species of big cats, including tigers, cheetahs, leopards, lions, snow leopards, and jaguars, are protected under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This is due in large part to population declines resulting from anthropogenic factors, especially poaching and the unregulated and illegal trade in pelts, bones, teeth and other products that are derived from these iconic species. To enhance and scale up monitoring for big cat products in this trade, we created a rapid multiplex qPCR test that can identify and differentiate DNA from tiger (Panthera tigris), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), leopard (Panthera pardus), lion (Panthera leo), snow leopard (Panthera uncia), and jaguar (Panthera onca) in wildlife products using melt curve analysis to identify each species by its unique melt peak temperature. Our results showed high PCR efficiency (> 90%), sensitivity (detection limit of 5 copies of DNA per PCR reaction) and specificity (no cross amplification between each of the 6 big cat species). When paired with a rapid (< 1 h) DNA extraction protocol that amplifies DNA from bone, teeth, and preserved skin, total test time is less than three hours. This test can be used as a screening method to improve our understanding of the scale and scope of the illegal trade in big cats and aid in the enforcement of international regulations that govern the trade in wildlife and wildlife products, both ultimately benefiting the conservation of these species worldwide.

Indexed as

AcinonyxLionsPantheraTigersAnimalsAnimals, WildCommerceDNAInternationalityWildlife TradeDNA

Identifiers

PMID37328525
PMCPMC10275956
OpenAlexW4380990536

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.