Advances in omic studies drive discoveries in the biology of anisakid nematodes
Advancements in technologies employed in high-throughput next-generation sequencing
(NGS) methods are supporting the spread of studies that, combined with advances in computational
biology and bioinformatics, have greatly accelerated discoveries within basic and biomedical research
for many parasitic diseases. Here, we review the most updated “omic” studies performed on anisakid
nematodes, a family of marine parasites that are causative agents of the fish-borne zoonosis known as
anisakiasis or anisakidosis. Few deposited data on Anisakis genomes are so far available, and this still
hinders the deep and highly accurate characterization of biological aspects of interest, even as several
transcriptomic and proteomic studies are becoming available. These have been aimed at discovering
and characterizing molecules specific to peculiar developmental parasitic stages or tissues, as well
as transcripts with pathogenic potential as toxins and allergens, with a broad relevance for a better
understanding of host–pathogen relationships and for the development of reliable diagnostic tools.