Adaptation of biotechnology methods on the study of arthropods.

Biotechnological advances are rapidly being applied to the study of arthropods and arthropod-born diseases. Improved tools are available for species identification, study of species complexes, detection and identification of pathogens in vectors and detection and characterization of insecticide resistance. These techniques have their basis in hybridoma, DNA probe and biochemical assay technologies. Problem areas in assay development are discussed.