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Owens LA, Friant S, Martorelli Di Genova B, Knoll LJ, Contreras M, Noya-Alarcon O, Dominguez-Bello MG, Goldberg TL. VESPA: an optimized protocol for accurate metabarcoding-based characterization of vertebrate eukaryotic endosymbiont and parasite assemblages. Nat Commun 2024; 15:402. [PMID: 38195557 PMCID: PMC10776621 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44521-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Protocols for characterizing taxonomic assemblages by deep sequencing of short DNA barcode regions (metabarcoding) have revolutionized our understanding of microbial communities and are standardized for bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Unfortunately, comparable methods for host-associated eukaryotes have lagged due to technical challenges. Despite 54 published studies, issues remain with primer complementarity, off-target amplification, and lack of external validation. Here, we present VESPA (Vertebrate Eukaryotic endoSymbiont and Parasite Analysis) primers and optimized metabarcoding protocol for host-associated eukaryotic community analysis. Using in silico prediction, panel PCR, engineered mock community standards, and clinical samples, we demonstrate VESPA to be more effective at resolving host-associated eukaryotic assemblages than previously published methods and to minimize off-target amplification. When applied to human and non-human primate samples, VESPA enables reconstruction of host-associated eukaryotic endosymbiont communities more accurately and at finer taxonomic resolution than microscopy. VESPA has the potential to advance basic and translational science on vertebrate eukaryotic endosymbiont communities, similar to achievements made for bacterial, archaeal, and fungal microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah A Owens
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Sagan Friant
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Bruno Martorelli Di Genova
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Laura J Knoll
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Monica Contreras
- Center for Biophysics and Biochemistry, Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Oscar Noya-Alarcon
- Centro Amazónico de Investigación y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales-CAICET, Puerto Ayacucho, Amazonas, Venezuela
| | - Maria G Dominguez-Bello
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Tony L Goldberg
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
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2
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Roche K, Dalle F, Capelli N, Borne R, Jouffroy-Bapicot I, Valot B, Grenouillet F, Le Bailly M. From modern-day parasitology to paleoparasitology: the elusive past record and evolution of Cryptosporidium. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1249884. [PMID: 37928683 PMCID: PMC10622768 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1249884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent efforts have been made to review the state of the art on a variety of questions and targets in paleoparasitology, including protozoan taxa. Meanwhile, these efforts seemed to let aside Cryptosporidium, and we then intended to review its paleoparasitological record to assess its past distribution and favored detection methods, and eventually highlight needed research trajectories. This review shows that contrary to other parasites, most of the positive results came from South-American sites and coprolites rather than sediment samples, highlighting the need to test this kind of material, notably in Europe where many negative results were reported in the published literature from sediment samples. Moreover, aDNA-based detections are nearly absent from the paleoparasitological record of this parasite, though punctually shown successful. With their potential to address the evolutionary history of Cryptosporidium species, notably through their 18S rRNA tree, aDNA-based approaches should be encouraged in the future. In sum, and though the limits of currently used methods and materials remain unclear, this review highlights the potential role of coprolites and aDNA for the study of Cryptosporidium species in the past and how this history shaped their current diversity and distribution, notably among human populations but also farm animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kévin Roche
- UMR CNRS-UFC 6249 Chrono-environnement, University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
| | - Frédéric Dalle
- CNR LE Cryptosporidiosis Collaborating Laboratory, Santé Publique France, Dijon, France
- Department of Parasitology/Mycology, University Hospital of Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Nicolas Capelli
- UMR CNRS-UFC 6249 Chrono-environnement, University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
| | - Romain Borne
- UMR CNRS-UFC 6249 Chrono-environnement, University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
| | | | - Benoit Valot
- UMR CNRS-UFC 6249 Chrono-environnement, University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
| | - Frédéric Grenouillet
- UMR CNRS-UFC 6249 Chrono-environnement, University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
| | - Matthieu Le Bailly
- UMR CNRS-UFC 6249 Chrono-environnement, University of Franche-Comté, Besançon, France
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3
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Barsch E, Kowarik K, Rodler K, Hörweg C, Reschreiter H, Sattmann H, Walochnik J. First molecular data on the human roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides species complex from the Bronze and Iron Age in Hallstatt, Austria. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12055. [PMID: 37491505 PMCID: PMC10368691 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38989-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Palaeoparasitological studies can provide valuable information on the emergence, distribution, and elimination of parasites during a particular time in the past. In the prehistoric salt mines of Hallstatt, located in the Austrian Alps, human faeces have been conserved in salt. The aim of this study was to recover ancient DNA of intestinal parasites from these coprolites. Altogether, 35 coprolites from the Hallstatt salt mines, dating back to the Bronze Age mining phase (1158-1063 BCE) and the Iron Age mining phase (750-662 BCE), respectively, were analysed by microscopy and molecular methods. In 91% of the coprolite samples, eggs of soil-transmitted helminths (STH), namely of Trichuris and/or Ascaris were detected by light microscopy. The Ascaris eggs were exceptionally well preserved. For further analysis, DNA was extracted from the palaeofaecal samples and species-specific primers targeting different genes were designed. While amplification of Trichuris DNA remained unsuccessful, sequence data of A. lumbricoides species complex were successfully obtained from 16 coprolites from three different genes, the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1), the mitochondrial cytochrome B gene (cytB) and the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 gene (nadh1). Importantly, these included two Ascaris sequences from a coprolite from the Bronze Age, which to the best of our knowledge are the first molecular data of this genus from this period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Barsch
- Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kerstin Kowarik
- Prehistoric Department, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina Rodler
- Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christoph Hörweg
- 3rd Zoological Department, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hans Reschreiter
- Prehistoric Department, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Helmut Sattmann
- 3rd Zoological Department, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia Walochnik
- Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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4
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Buddhachat K, Sriuan S, Nak-On S, Chontananarth T. Differentiating paramphistome species in cattle using DNA barcoding coupled with high-resolution melting analysis (Bar-HRM). Parasitol Res 2023; 122:769-779. [PMID: 36604333 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07769-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Paramphistomosis is caused by paramphistome or amphistome parasites, including Fischoederius elongatus, Gastrothylax crumenifer, Orthocoelium parvipapillatum, and Paramphistomum epiclitum. The control and prevention of these parasite outbreaks are difficult because of the wide occurrence of these species. Besides, the clinical manifestations and their egg characteristics are similar to those of other intestinal flukes in the paramphistome group, leading to misdiagnosis. Here, we employed DNA barcoding using NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone, alpha 1) (ND1) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), coupled with high-resolution melting analysis (Bar-HRM), for species differentiation. As a result, ParND1_3 and ParCOI4 resulted in positive amplification in the paramphistomes and Fasciola gigantica, with significantly different melting curves for each species. The melting temperatures of each species obtained clearly differed. Regarding sensitivity, the limit of detection (LoD) for all species of paramphistomes was 1 pg/µl. Our findings suggest that Bar-HRM using ParND1_3 is highly suitable for the differentiation of paramphistome species. This approach can be used in parasite detection and epidemiological studies in cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kittisak Buddhachat
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand.,Excellence Center in Veterinary Biosciences, Chiang Mai University, 50200, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Sirikhwan Sriuan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand
| | - Sirapat Nak-On
- Applied Parasitology Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, 10110, Thailand
| | - Thapana Chontananarth
- Applied Parasitology Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, 10110, Thailand. .,Research and Innovation Unit for Diagnosis of Medical and Veterinary Important Parasites, Faculty of Science, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, 10110, Thailand.
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5
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Wood CL, Vanhove MPM. Is the world wormier than it used to be? We'll never know without natural history collections. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:250-262. [PMID: 35959636 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many disease ecologists and conservation biologists believe that the world is wormier than it used to be-that is, that parasites are increasing in abundance through time. This argument is intuitively appealing. Ecologists typically see parasitic infections, through their association with disease, as a negative endpoint, and are accustomed to attributing negative outcomes to human interference in the environment, so it slots neatly into our worldview that habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and climate change should have the collateral consequence of causing outbreaks of parasites. But surprisingly, the hypothesis that parasites are increasing in abundance through time remains entirely untested for the vast majority of wildlife parasite species. Historical data on parasites are nearly impossible to find, which leaves no baseline against which to compare contemporary parasite burdens. If we want to know whether the world is wormier than it used to be, there is only one major research avenue that will lead to an answer: parasitological examination of specimens preserved in natural history collections. Recent advances demonstrate that, for many specimen types, it is possible to extract reliable data on parasite presence and abundance. There are millions of suitable specimens that exist in collections around the world. When paired with contemporaneous environmental data, these parasitological data could even point to potential drivers of change in parasite abundance, including climate, pollution or host density change. We explain how to use preserved specimens to address pressing questions in parasite ecology, give a few key examples of how collections-based parasite ecology can resolve these questions, identify some pitfalls and workarounds, and suggest promising areas for research. Natural history specimens are 'parasite time capsules' that give ecologists the opportunity to test whether infectious disease is on the rise and to identify what forces might be driving these changes over time. This approach will facilitate major advances in a new sub-discipline: the historical ecology of parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea L Wood
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Maarten P M Vanhove
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity & Toxicology, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
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6
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How to use natural history collections to resurrect information on historical parasite abundances. J Helminthol 2023; 97:e6. [PMID: 36633512 DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x2200075x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Many of the most contentious questions that concern the ecology of helminths could be resolved with data on helminth abundance over the past few decades or centuries, but unfortunately these data are rare. A new sub-discipline - the historical ecology of parasitism - is resurrecting long-term data on the abundance of parasites, an advancement facilitated by the use of biological natural history collections. Because the world's museums hold billions of suitable specimens collected over more than a century, these potential parasitological datasets are broad in scope and finely resolved in taxonomic, temporal and spatial dimensions. Here, we set out best practices for the extraction of parasitological information from natural history collections, including how to conceive of a project, how to select specimens, how to engage curators and receive permission for proposed projects, standard operating protocols for dissections and how to manage data. Our hope is that other helminthologists will use this paper as a reference to expand their own research programmes along the dimension of time.
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7
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Pedersen MW, Antunes C, De Cahsan B, Moreno-Mayar JV, Sikora M, Vinner L, Mann D, Klimov PB, Black S, Michieli CT, Braig HR, Perotti MA. Ancient human genomes and environmental DNA from the cement attaching 2,000 year-old head lice nits. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 39:6481551. [PMID: 34963129 PMCID: PMC8829908 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past few decades, there has been a growing demand for genome analysis of ancient human remains. Destructive sampling is increasingly difficult to obtain for ethical reasons, and standard methods of breaking the skull to access the petrous bone or sampling remaining teeth are often forbidden for curatorial reasons. However, most ancient humans carried head lice and their eggs abound in historical hair specimens. Here we show that host DNA is protected by the cement that glues head lice nits to the hair of ancient Argentinian mummies, 1,500–2,000 years old. The genetic affinities deciphered from genome-wide analyses of this DNA inform that this population migrated from north-west Amazonia to the Andes of central-west Argentina; a result confirmed using the mitochondria of the host lice. The cement preserves ancient environmental DNA of the skin, including the earliest recorded case of Merkel cell polyomavirus. We found that the percentage of human DNA obtained from nit cement equals human DNA obtained from the tooth, yield 2-fold compared with a petrous bone, and 4-fold to a bloodmeal of adult lice a millennium younger. In metric studies of sheaths, the length of the cement negatively correlates with the age of the specimens, whereas hair linear distance between nit and scalp informs about the environmental conditions at the time before death. Ectoparasitic lice sheaths can offer an alternative, nondestructive source of high-quality ancient DNA from a variety of host taxa where bones and teeth are not available and reveal complementary details of their history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikkel W Pedersen
- GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Catia Antunes
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Section, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Binia De Cahsan
- GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - J Víctor Moreno-Mayar
- GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin Sikora
- GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lasse Vinner
- GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Darren Mann
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Pavel B Klimov
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Stuart Black
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Wager Building, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Catalina Teresa Michieli
- Instituto de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Museo "Prof. Mariano Gambier", Universidad Nacional de San Juan, San Juan, Argentina
| | - Henk R Braig
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom.,Institute and Museum of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, National University of San Juan, San Juan, Argentina
| | - M Alejandra Perotti
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Section, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
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8
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Kévin R, Nicolas C, Elsa P, Paolo L, Pasquino P, Raffaella B, Matthieu LB. Gastrointestinal parasite burden in 4th-5th c. CE Florence highlighted by microscopy and paleogenetics. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2021; 90:104713. [PMID: 33429070 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.104713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The study of ancient parasites, named paleoparasitology, traditionally focused on microscopic eggs disseminated in past environments and archaeological structures by humans and other animals infested by gastrointestinal parasites. Since the development of paleogenetics in the early 1980s, few paleoparasitological studies have been based on the ancient DNA (aDNA) of parasites, although such studies have clearly proven their utility and reliability. In this paper, we describe our integrative approach for the paleoparasitological study of an ancient population from Florence in Italy, dated to the 4th-5th c. CE. The first stage consisted in the study of sediment samples from the pelvic area of 18 individuals under light microscopy. This allowed us to detect Ascarid-type eggs belonging very probably to the human-infesting roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides. Ten subsamples were selected corresponding to five individuals, and we extracted their whole DNA following sediment aDNA protocols. A targeted approach allowed us to detect two nematodes and one trematode aDNA fragments, namely Ascaris sp., Trichuris trichiura, and Dicrocoelium dendriticum. Among the five individuals tested for microscopic eggs and aDNA, three of them showed the remains of eggs (only Ascarid-type), but all of them tested positive to the presence of at least one parasite aDNA. Microscopic diagnosis first guided our research for the selection of promising samples while the targeted aDNA approach significantly improved our knowledge in terms of parasitic diversity and frequency in this population subgroup. These results enabled us to discuss the possible impact of latent parasitism in this past population at the time of an epidemic, as suggested in Florence. In particular, the singular case of D. dendriticum detection is discussed in light of the present-day scarcity of genuine human infections. Nevertheless, actual infections are known in the paleoparasitological record, and food habits may have led to false parasitism in this historical context. aDNA leaching from overlying strata may also explain this detection. This study strongly pleads for a systematic integrative approach combining microscopy and aDNA in paleoparasitology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roche Kévin
- Université Bordeaux Montaigne, CNRS UMR 5607 Ausonius, France; Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS UMR 6249 Chrono-Environnement, France.
| | - Capelli Nicolas
- Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS UMR 6249 Chrono-Environnement, France
| | - Pacciani Elsa
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Firenze, Pistoia and Prato, Italy
| | | | - Pallecchi Pasquino
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Firenze, Pistoia and Prato, Italy
| | - Bianucci Raffaella
- Legal Medicine Section, Department of Public Health and Paediatric Sciences, University of Turin, Italy; Warwick Medical School, Biomedical Sciences, University of Warwick, United Kingdom; ADES (UMR 7268), Laboratoire d'Anthropologie bio-culturelle, Droit, Ethique & Santé (Adés), Faculté de Médecine de Marseille, France
| | - Le Bailly Matthieu
- Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS UMR 6249 Chrono-Environnement, France.
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9
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Chessa D, Murgia M, Sias E, Deligios M, Mazzarello V, Fiamma M, Rovina D, Carenti G, Ganau G, Pintore E, Fiori M, Kay GL, Ponzeletti A, Cappuccinelli P, Kelvin DJ, Wain J, Rubino S. Metagenomics and microscope revealed T. trichiura and other intestinal parasites in a cesspit of an Italian nineteenth century aristocratic palace. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12656. [PMID: 32728085 PMCID: PMC7391740 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69497-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
This study evidenced the presence of parasites in a cesspit of an aristocratic palace of nineteenth century in Sardinia (Italy) by the use of classical paleoparasitological techniques coupled with next-generation sequencing. Parasite eggs identified by microscopy included helminth genera pathogenic for humans and animals: the whipworm Trichuris sp., the roundworm Ascaris sp., the flatworm Dicrocoelium sp. and the fish tapeworm Diphyllobothrium sp. In addition, 18S rRNA metabarcoding and metagenomic sequencing analysis allowed the first description in Sardinia of aDNA of the human specific T. trichiura species and Ascaris genus. Their presence is important for understanding the health conditions, hygiene habits, agricultural practices and the diet of the local inhabitants in the period under study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Chessa
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, V. le San Pietro 43/B, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Manuela Murgia
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, V. le San Pietro 43/B, 07100, Sassari, Italy.
| | - Emanuela Sias
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, V. le San Pietro 43/B, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Massimo Deligios
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, V. le San Pietro 43/B, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Vittorio Mazzarello
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, V. le San Pietro 43/B, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Maura Fiamma
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, V. le San Pietro 43/B, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Daniela Rovina
- Superintendence Archaeology of Sardinia, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Gabriele Carenti
- Department of Nature and Environmental Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Giulia Ganau
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, V. le San Pietro 43/B, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Pintore
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | | | - Gemma L Kay
- Bob Champion Research and Educational Building, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
- The Quadram Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Piero Cappuccinelli
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, V. le San Pietro 43/B, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - David J Kelvin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - John Wain
- Bob Champion Research and Educational Building, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
- The Quadram Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Salvatore Rubino
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, V. le San Pietro 43/B, 07100, Sassari, Italy
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10
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Advances and challenges in barcoding of microbes, parasites, and their vectors and reservoirs. Parasitology 2019; 145:537-542. [PMID: 29900810 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182018000884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
DNA barcoding is now a common tool in parasitology and epidemiology, which require good methods for identification not only of parasites and pathogens but vectors and reservoirs. This special issue presents some advances and challenges in barcoding of microbes, parasites, and their vectors and reservoirs. DNA barcoding found new applications in disease ecology, conservation parasitology, environmental parasitology and in paleoparasitology. New technologies such as next-generation sequencing and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight have made it now possible to investigate large samples of specimens. By allowing the investigation of parasites at the interface between environment, biodiversity, animal and human health, barcoding and biobanking have important policy outcomes as well as ethics and legal implications. The special issue 'Advances and challenges in the barcoding of parasites, vectors and reservoirs' illustrates some recent advances and proposes new avenues for research in barcoding in parasitology.
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