Metagenomics in medical parasitology: opportunities, challenges and application


It is about two decades since metagenomics turned into a revolutionary approach to studying complex and diverse microbial genomes from their natural environment. Recent developments in the field of metagenomics enhanced our knowledge of uncultivable microbial communities with broad applications in medical, industrial, and environmental science. Moreover, the cost-effective techniques of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) facilitated the metagenomics projects. While research projects studying bacterial populations using metagenomics achieved genus-level sensitivity, the research in medical and veterinary parasitology still suffers from significant challenges in this field.

We wish to highlight the nature of current challenges obstructing the application of metagenomics in research projects in medical and veterinary parasitology and evaluate novel approaches to address the current major challenges. Further, our aim is to demonstrate how metagenomics can advance our understanding of the complex biology of parasites, including genotyping, diagnostic techniques, surveillance of parasitic infection, surveillance of drug-resistance-associated genes in parasites, novel drug discoveries, etc.

We welcome the submissions of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Hypothesis, and Theory articles addressing challenges in methods and application of metagenomics in medical parasitology. We seek a wide range of submissions which include but are not limited to the following topics:

-Addressing challenges in metagenomics workflow in connection to research projects in medical and veterinary parasitology

-Sampling and sample preparation challenges and novel approaches

-Appropriate sequencing methods and validation of the methods

-Database and computational approaches and quality of data analysis

-Development of experimental methods to validate the metagenomics results

-Metagenomics and drug-resistance-associated genes in parasites

-Metagenomics and novel biomarkers associated with the diagnosis of parasitic infection

-Metagenomics and host-parasite interaction

-Metagenomics and annotation of parasites’ genes

-Metagenomics and enzyme discovery in parasites


Keywords:
Medical parasitology, veterinary parasitology, metagenomics, metabarcoding, next-generation sequencing, genotyping


Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

It is about two decades since metagenomics turned into a revolutionary approach to studying complex and diverse microbial genomes from their natural environment. Recent developments in the field of metagenomics enhanced our knowledge of uncultivable microbial communities with broad applications in medical, industrial, and environmental science. Moreover, the cost-effective techniques of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) facilitated the metagenomics projects. While research projects studying bacterial populations using metagenomics achieved genus-level sensitivity, the research in medical and veterinary parasitology still suffers from significant challenges in this field.

We wish to highlight the nature of current challenges obstructing the application of metagenomics in research projects in medical and veterinary parasitology and evaluate novel approaches to address the current major challenges. Further, our aim is to demonstrate how metagenomics can advance our understanding of the complex biology of parasites, including genotyping, diagnostic techniques, surveillance of parasitic infection, surveillance of drug-resistance-associated genes in parasites, novel drug discoveries, etc.

We welcome the submissions of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Hypothesis, and Theory articles addressing challenges in methods and application of metagenomics in medical parasitology. We seek a wide range of submissions which include but are not limited to the following topics:

-Addressing challenges in metagenomics workflow in connection to research projects in medical and veterinary parasitology

-Sampling and sample preparation challenges and novel approaches

-Appropriate sequencing methods and validation of the methods

-Database and computational approaches and quality of data analysis

-Development of experimental methods to validate the metagenomics results

-Metagenomics and drug-resistance-associated genes in parasites

-Metagenomics and novel biomarkers associated with the diagnosis of parasitic infection

-Metagenomics and host-parasite interaction

-Metagenomics and annotation of parasites’ genes

-Metagenomics and enzyme discovery in parasites


Keywords:
Medical parasitology, veterinary parasitology, metagenomics, metabarcoding, next-generation sequencing, genotyping


Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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