A Review of Environmental DNA (eDNA)-Based Detection of Aquatic Denizens and Water‑Borne Pathogens in Wetlands: Recent Trends and Future Perspectives.

Authors

Kumaraswamy Sharavanabhavan Janani, Krishnan Anandhan, Thirunavukkarasu Muralisankar

Published in

Environmental management. Volume 76. Issue 7. Jul 06, 2026. Epub Jul 06, 2026.

Abstract

Environmental DNA (eDNA), the archive of unseen biodiversity, is an emerging and revolutionary biomonitoring approach for detecting species and pathogens in the environment. This approach primarily involves monitoring genetic material shed by microscopic and macroscopic organisms into their environment through feces, mucus, skin cells, and decomposing tissues. Although wetlands are ecologically rich environments, they are highly vulnerable to threats such as habitat degradation, anthropogenic activities, and contamination, leading to decline in water quality and biodiversity loss. In this scenario, eDNA emerges as a promising and non-invasive tool for assessing biodiversity and detecting invasive and elusive species. This review synthesizes recent eDNA research on a global scale, focusing on inland water biodiversity, ecosystem monitoring, and public health interventions. It compares the diverse protocols used across studies, including sampling, pre-treatment, eDNA isolation, amplification, and validation, to highlight existing knowledge and ongoing challenges in this field. This review also outlines the major research gaps, emphasizing the necessity of protocol standardization to enhance the reliability and applicability of eDNA-based research in aquatic environments.

PMID:
42410241
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Jul 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.