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 hosts

• Collection of cercaria from snail first intermediate hosts

• Collection of metacercaria from fish hosts

• Molecular identification of parasites

• Systematics of fish-borne trematodes

• Provides research guidelines and protocols for studying systematics of fish-borne trematodes using both morphological and molecular data

• Presents keys to enable identification of metacercariae of fish-borne trematodes in the Greater Mekong subregion