Advancing Nematode Barcoding: a Primer Cocktail for the Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit I Gene from Vertebrate Parasitic Nematodes

Although nematodes are one of the most diverse metazoan phyla, species identification through morphology is difficult. Several genetic markers have been used for their identification, but most do not provide species-level resolution in all groups, and those that do lack primer sets effective across the phylum, precluding high-throughput processing. This study describes a cocktail of three novel primer pairs that overcome this limitation by recovering cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) barcodes from diverse nematode lineages parasitic on vertebrates, including members of three orders and eight families. Its effectiveness across a broad range of nematodes enables high-throughput processing.