Map displaying international locations of origin for the scientific samples used on this research and the schematic orientation of the duplex primers and TaqMan probes for every species-specific assay, Strongyloides fuelleborni fuelleborni (A) and Strongyloides stercoralis (B). Credit score: The Journal of Infectious Ailments (2025). DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaf237
Scientists on the Liverpool College of Tropical Drugs (LSTM) have developed a extra exact diagnostic software to differentiate between two carefully associated threadworm species, bettering the worldwide surveillance of the illness strongyloidiasis.
The work is revealed in The Journal of Infectious Ailments.
The brand new check can differentiate between Strongyloides stercoralis, the species primarily accountable for human illness, and Strongyloides fuelleborni fuelleborni, a parasite usually present in non-human primates that’s more and more implicated in zoonotic transmission.
Till now, most molecular surveillance has relied on a check that can’t distinguish between the 2, rising the chance of misdiagnosis and underreporting of zoonotic circumstances. The researchers’ novel duplex real-time PCR (rtPCR) check, much like these used to check for COVID-19, targets mitochondrial DNA, permitting correct identification of every species from scientific samples.
Strongyloidiasis is one in every of 21 uncared for tropical illnesses acknowledged by the World Well being Group, however diagnostic challenges have lengthy hampered international efforts to know its distribution and management its affect.
Dr. Lucas Cunningham, lead creator of the research, mentioned, “This new rtPCR fills a critical gap in our diagnostic toolkit. By improving species-level resolution, we can better monitor zoonotic transmission and target interventions more effectively, particularly in settings where both humans and non-human primates are involved in transmission cycles.”
In laboratory testing, the diagnostic demonstrated excessive specificity and sensitivity to parasite DNA. When utilized to 96 scientific samples from the UK and Italy, the novel assay recognized 36 circumstances of S. stercoralis, 17 of S. f. fuelleborni, and two coinfections.
The researchers advocate a two-step diagnostic protocol, first checking for indicators of an infection with a broad check that detects the Strongyloides genus, adopted by species-level affirmation utilizing the brand new check.
The research additionally highlights the necessity for improved molecular instruments to detect imported and regionally acquired infections in non-endemic international locations, the place strongyloidiasis is incessantly underdiagnosed.
Professor Russell Stothard, one of many research’s co-authors and a medical parasitologist at LSTM, added, “Over the next year we are encouraging scale-up use of this diagnostic assay in routine disease surveillance in the UK and overseas to gain a much better insight into travel-related infections and improve local public health advice.”
The analysis additionally presents a mannequin for enhancing diagnostics throughout different uncared for tropical illnesses with zoonotic potential.
Extra data:
Lucas J Cunningham et al, Bettering Molecular Epidemiological Surveillance of Strongyloidiasis Upon Differentiation of Strongyloides fuelleborni fuelleborni From Strongyloides stercoralis, The Journal of Infectious Ailments (2025). DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaf237
Offered by
Liverpool College of Tropical Drugs
Quotation:
New diagnostic improves international surveillance for strongyloidiasis (2025, Could 30)
retrieved 30 Could 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-05-diagnostic-global-surveillance-strongyloidiasis.html
This doc is topic to copyright. Other than any truthful dealing for the aim of personal research or analysis, no
half could also be reproduced with out the written permission. The content material is supplied for data functions solely.
