Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Barrack Road, The Nothe, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8UB, UK; Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD, London, UK.
Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Barrack Road, The Nothe, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8UB, UK.
Trends Parasitol. 2015 Oct;31(10):499-513. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2015.06.013.
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.
从环境样本中的生物体中提取和测序核酸，涵盖了各种统称为环境 DNA 或“eDNA”的技术。eDNA 分析的主要优点包括检测隐匿或难以捉摸的生物体、与基于标本的方法相比，大规模采样且偏差更少，以及为分子系统学生成数据。这些对于寄生虫学特别相关，因为寄生虫很难定位，形态上难以处理，遗传上也存在差异。然而，寄生虫很少成为 eDNA 研究的焦点。我们专注于真核寄生虫，回顾了日益多样化的“eDNA 工具箱”。将 eDNA 方法与互补工具相结合，为了解寄生虫群落、疾病风险以及寄生虫在更广泛的生态系统过程（如食物网结构和群落组装）中的作用提供了很大的潜力。
