Validating a web application's use of genetic distance to determine helminth species boundaries and aid in identification.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Parasitic helminths exhibit significant diversity, complicating both morphological and molecular species identification. Moreover, no helminth-specific tool is currently available to aid in species identification of helminths using molecular data. To address this, we developed and validated a straightforward, user-friendly application named Applying Taxonomic Boundaries for Species Identification of Helminths (ABIapp) using R and the Shiny framework. Serving as a preliminary step in species identification, ABIapp is designed to assist in visualizing taxonomic boundaries for nematodes, trematodes, and cestodes. ABIapp employs a database of genetic distance cut-offs determined by the K-means algorithm to establish taxonomic boundaries for ten genetic markers. Validation of

SUBMITTER: Chan AHE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11917154 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature