eDNA from culture-independent Hirudinaria bpling Phillips 2012 (Annelida: Hirundinidae) as a tool for biodiversity assessment

Recent interest in the use of leeches as a source of eDNA by obtaining and analyzing traces of its last blood meal has proven noteworthy as a tool in screening biodiversity. As the method is fairly new and has relatively unexplored benefits, its assessment as a tool in such fields as ecology and biotechnology prompts further studies. This study was conducted to provide an alternative to collecting samples in poorly-explored areas or in areas where collection is very difficult, if not impossible. Using leeches collected from Angadanan, Isabela, DNA was extracted and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene was amplified using conventional PCR. Gene sequences from resulting amplicons were matched with similar sequences using BLASTn, where prey sequences were narrowed down to organisms with the highest match of no less than 85%. Highest score of similarities were obtained and species identified included Cyprinus carpio L. 1758, Homo sapiens L., 1758, Bos taurus L., 1758, Bubalus bubalis carabanensis L.S. Castillo, 1998, Equus caballus L., 1758, and Canis familiaris L., 1758. These results demonstrate that using leech-extracted blood meal may be a successful tool in screening vertebrate biodiversity.