title: New primers for DNA barcoding of digeneans and cestodes (Platyhelminthes).
abstract: Digeneans and cestodes are species-rich taxa and can seriously impact human health, fisheries, aqua- and agriculture, and wildlife conservation and management. DNA barcoding using the COI Folmer region could be applied for species detection and identification, but both 'universal' and taxon-specific COI primers fail to amplify in many flatworm taxa. We found that high levels of nucleotide variation at priming sites made it unrealistic to design primers targeting all flatworms. We developed new degenerate primers that enabled acquisition of the COI barcode region from 100% of specimens tested (n = 46), representing 23 families of digeneans and 6 orders of cestodes. This high success rate represents an improvement over existing methods. Primers and methods provided here are critical pieces towards redressing the current paucity of COI barcodes for these taxa in public databases.
authors.affiliation: Aquatic Animal Health Section, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC, Canada, V9T 6N7.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Steenkiste
authors.affiliation: Aquatic Biodiversity Section, Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, St. Lawrence Centre, 105 McGill, 7th Floor, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2Y 2E7.
authors.forename: Sean A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Locke
authors.affiliation: Aquatic Animal Health Section, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC, Canada, V9T 6N7.
authors.forename: Magalie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castelin
authors.affiliation: Aquatic Biodiversity Section, Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, St. Lawrence Centre, 105 McGill, 7th Floor, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2Y 2E7.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Marcogliese
authors.affiliation: Aquatic Animal Health Section, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC, Canada, V9T 6N7.
authors.forename: Cathryn L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Abbott
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002589:Cestoda / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic / Q000379:methods*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics*; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014200:Trematoda / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV
keywords: COI; Cestoda; DNA barcoding; Digenea; Platyhelminthes; Primers