Needle in a Haystack: A Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay to Detect Rare Helminth Parasites Infecting Natural Host Populations.

ABSTRACT: Helminths infect humans, livestock, and wildlife, yet remain understudied despite their significant impact on public health and agriculture. Because many of the most prevalent helminth-borne diseases are zoonotic, understanding helminth transmission among wildlife could improve predictions and management of infection risks across species. A key challenge to understanding helminth transmission dynamics in wildlife is accurately and quantitatively tracking parasite load across hosts and environments. Traditional methods, such as visual parasite identification from environmental samples or infected hosts, are time-consuming, while standard molecular techniques (e.g., PCR and qPCR) often lack the sensitivity to reliably detect lower parasite burdens. These limitations can underestimate the pre

SUBMITTER: Fouilloux CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12230807 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature