Molecular tools-advances, opportunities and prospects for the control of parasites of veterinary importance.

Abstract

The recent advancement in genome sequencing facilities, proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics of eukaryotes have opened door for employment of molecular diagnostic techniques for early detection of parasites and determining target molecules for formulating control strategies. It further leads to the introduction of several purified vaccines in the field of veterinary parasitology. Earlier, the conventional diagnostic methods was entirely based upon morphological taxonomy for diagnosis of parasites but nowadays improved molecular techniques help in phylogenetic study and open an another area of molecular taxonomy of parasites with high precision. Control measures based upon targeting endosymbionts in parasites like Dirofilaria immitis is also under exploration in veterinary parasitology. Metagenomics have added an inside story of parasites bionomics which have created havoc in human and animals population since centuries. Omics era is playing a key role in opening the new approaches on parasite biology. Various newer generations of safer vaccines like edible vaccines and subunit vaccines and diagnostic techniques based upon purified immunologically active epitopes have become commercially available against the parasites (helminths, protozoa and arthropod borne diseases). Nowadays, a transgenic and gene knock out studies using RNA interference and CRISPR are also helping in understanding the functions of genes and screening of target genes, which are not available before the advent of molecular tools. Molecular techniques had paramount impact on increasing the sensitivity of diagnostic tools, epidemiological studies and more importantly in controlling these diseases. This review is about the advancements in veterinary parasitology and their impact on the control of these pathogens.