Unravelling parasitic nematode natural history using population genetics

Abstract

The health and economic importance of parasitic nematodes cannot be overstated. Moreover, they offer a complex and diverse array of life strategies, raising a multitude of evolutionary questions. Researchers are applying population genetics to parasitic nematodes in order to disentangle some aspects of their life strategies, improve our knowledge about disease epidemiology, and design control strategies. However, population genetics studies of nematodes have been constrained due to the difficulty in sampling nematodes and developing molecular markers. In this context, new computational and sequencing technologies represent promising tools to investigate population genomics of parasitic, non-model, nematode species in an epidemiological context.

Keywords: invasion history; life strategies; molecular epidemiology; parasitic nematodes; population genetics.