disentangling vector-borne transmission networks a universal dna barcoding method to identify vertebrate hosts from arthropod bloodmeals理清虫媒传播网络普遍dna条码技术的方法来识别从节肢动物bloodmeals脊椎动物宿主.pdfVIP

Disentangling Vector-Borne Transmission Networks: A Universal DNA Barcoding Method to Identify Vertebrate Hosts from Arthropod Bloodmeals 1 1 2 ´ 1 ´ ˜ 1 1 Miguel Alcaide *, Ciro Rico , Santiago Ruiz , Ramon Soriguer , Joaquın Munoz , Jordi Figuerola ´ ´ ´ ˜ ´ 1 Estacion Biologica de Donana (CSIC), Isla de la Cartuja, Sevilla, Spain, 2 Diputacion de Huelva, Area de Medio Ambiente, Huelva, Spain Abstract Emerging infectious diseases represent a challenge for global economies and public health. About one fourth of the last pandemics have been originated by the spread of vector-borne pathogens. In this sense, the advent of modern molecular techniques has enhanced our capabilities to understand vector-host interactions and disease ecology. However, host identification protocols have poorly profited of international DNA barcoding initiatives and/or have focused exclusively on a limited array of vector species. Therefore, ascertaining the potential afforded by DNA barcoding tools in other vector-host systems of human and veterinary importance would represent a major advance in tracking pathogen life cycles and hosts. Here, we show the applicability of a novel and efficient molecular method for the identification of the vertebrate host’s DNA contained in the midgut of blood-feeding arthropods. To this end, we designed a eukaryote-universal forward primer and a vertebrate-specific reverse primer to selectively amplify 758 base pairs (bp) of