Researchers trace snail fever parasites

New DNA-based method enables researchers to trace snail fever parasites directly in water samples

Researchers from University of Copenhagen have developed a method to detect molecular leftovers from dangerous parasites that infect more than 250 million people globally. This could be an important tool in the battle against the debilitating disease known as schistosomiasis or snail fever. The study has just been published in the prestigious American Journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS):

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/04/10/1815046116

 “Our research demonstrates that we are able to detect DNA-traces from the snail fever parasites by just taking a water sample from the places where people are at risk of getting infected when they bathe, wash clothes or fish”, says Mita Eva Sengupta. She developed the eDNA (environmental DNA) method to detect the parasites as part of her post-doctoral research at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, at the University of Copenhagen.

Read the press release here.