Approaches to Research on the Systematics of Fish-Borne Trematodes

Approaches to Research on the Systematics of Fish-Borne Trematodes is a concise guide for systematic studies of the prevalence of fish-borne trematodes both in the endemic areas and experimental laboratories. It includes methods to identify species of fish-borne trematodes to enhance the precision of research studies based on the metacercarial stage.

Misidentification of trematode species is a common occurrence when researchers are new to the field and have no guidance. Consequentially, sometimes publications report inaccurate prevalence rates of these parasites. This compact guide gives clear direction on:

Collection of parasites in the final hostsCollection of cercaria from snail first intermediate hostsCollection of metacercaria from fish hostsMolecular identification of parasitesSystematics of fish-borne trematodes

Provides research guidelines and protocols for studying systematics of fish-borne trematodes using both morphological and molecular dataPresents keys to enable identification of metacercariae of fish-borne trematodes in the Greater Mekong subregion

1. Overview of fish-borne trematodes
2. Collection of parasite in the final host
3. Collection of cercaria from snail first intermediate host
4. Collection of metacercaria from fish host
5. Molecular identification of parasites
6. Systematic of fish-borne trematodes