Benzalkonium Chloride Significantly Improves Environmental DNA Detection from Schistosomiasis Snail Vectors in Freshwater Samples.

ABSTRACT: Urogenital schistosomiasis, caused by Schistosoma haematobium and transmitted by Bulinus snails, affects approximately 190 million individuals globally and remains a major public health concern. Effective surveillance of snail vectors is critical for disease control, but traditional identification methods are time-intensive and require specialized expertise. Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection using qPCR has emerged as a promising alternative for large-scale vector surveillance. To prevent eDNA degradation, benzalkonium chloride (BAC) has been proposed as a preservative, though its efficacy with schistosomiasis snail vectors has not been evaluated. This study tested the impact of BAC (0.01%) on the stability of Bulinus truncatus eDNA under simulated field conditions. Water samples from aqua

SUBMITTER: Sanchez-Marques R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12390305 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature