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Overview and Challenges of Molecular Technologies in the Veterinary Microbiology Laboratory

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Veterinary Infection Biology: Molecular Diagnostics and High-Throughput Strategies

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1247))

Abstract

Terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial animals, either domestic or wild, humans, and plants all face similar health threats caused by infectious agents. Multifaceted anthropic pressure caused by an increasingly growing and resource-demanding human population has affected biodiversity at all scales, from the DNA molecule to the pathogen, to the ecosystem level, leading to species declines and extinctions and, also, to host-pathogen coevolution processes.

Technological developments over the last century have also led to quantic jumps in laboratorial testing that have highly impacted animal health and welfare, ameliorated animal management and animal trade, safeguarded public health, and ultimately helped to “secure” biodiversity. In particular, the field of molecular diagnostics experienced tremendous technical progresses over the last two decades that significantly have contributed to our ability to study microbial pathogens in the clinical and research laboratories. This chapter highlights the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (or challenges) of molecular technologies in the framework of a veterinary microbiology laboratory, in view of the latest advances.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Fundacão para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through projects PTDC/CVT/111634/2009 and PTDC/CVT/117794/2010 and in the framework of Projecto 3599—Promover a Produção Científica e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico e a Constituição de Redes Temáticas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, I.P.), Rua General Morais Sarmento S/N, 1500-311, Lisbon, Portugal

    Mónica V. Cunha & João Inácio

  2. Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisbon, Portugal

    Mónica V. Cunha

  3. School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, 802 Cockcroft building, Lewes road, Brighton, BN2 4GJ, UK

    João Inácio

Authors
  1. Mónica V. Cunha
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  2. João Inácio
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Mónica V. Cunha or João Inácio .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, IP and Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Mónica V. Cunha

  2. Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, IP, Lisboa, Portugal and School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom

    João Inácio

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Cunha, M.V., Inácio, J. (2015). Overview and Challenges of Molecular Technologies in the Veterinary Microbiology Laboratory. In: Cunha, M., Inácio, J. (eds) Veterinary Infection Biology: Molecular Diagnostics and High-Throughput Strategies. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1247. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2004-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2004-4_1

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-2003-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-2004-4

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