Diverse Applications of Environmental DNA Methods in Parasitology

Nucleic acid extraction and sequencing of genes from organisms within environmental samples encompasses a variety of techniques collectively referred to as environmental DNA or ‘eDNA’. The key advantages of eDNA analysis include the detection of cryptic or otherwise elusive organisms, large-scale sa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in parasitology 2015-10, Vol.31 (10), p.499-513
Main Authors: Bass, David, Stentiford, Grant D, Littlewood, D.T.J, Hartikainen, Hanna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
DNA - analysis
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Infectious Disease
Parasites - genetics
Parasitology - methods
Parasitology - trends
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Summary:Nucleic acid extraction and sequencing of genes from organisms within environmental samples encompasses a variety of techniques collectively referred to as environmental DNA or ‘eDNA’. The key advantages of eDNA analysis include the detection of cryptic or otherwise elusive organisms, large-scale sampling with fewer biases than specimen-based methods, and generation of data for molecular systematics. These are particularly relevant for parasitology because parasites can be difficult to locate and are morphologically intractable and genetically divergent. However, parasites have rarely been the focus of eDNA studies. Focusing on eukaryote parasites, we review the increasing diversity of the ‘eDNA toolbox’. Combining eDNA methods with complementary tools offers much potential to understand parasite communities, disease risk, and parasite roles in broader ecosystem processes such as food web structuring and community assembly.
ISSN:1471-4922
1471-5007
DOI:10.1016/j.pt.2015.06.013