Parasite contamination of soil in different Peruvian locations and outside built environments
Abstract Background Soil is a reservoir for many parasites that can affect human and animal health, especially in tropical regions where soil-transmitted helminths and protozoa thrive. Understanding how environmental factors influence parasite distribution will provide a basis for relating how clima...
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Parasites & Vectors |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06762-7 |
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| author | Carlos Pineda Maritza Dalí Camones Rivera Eddyson Montalva Sabino Lucia Estela Mejia Katherine Elizabeth Keegan Lizbet Pilar Patricio Alvarez Javier Jorge Mora Fernanda Espinoza Vega Emilio Rey Mejia Patrick Olivas Herrera Elisa Palomino Pando Zhen Zeng Athos Silva De Oliveira Maria Jose Villar Mondragon Barton Slatko Eric J. Wetzel Rojelio Mejia |
| author_facet | Carlos Pineda Maritza Dalí Camones Rivera Eddyson Montalva Sabino Lucia Estela Mejia Katherine Elizabeth Keegan Lizbet Pilar Patricio Alvarez Javier Jorge Mora Fernanda Espinoza Vega Emilio Rey Mejia Patrick Olivas Herrera Elisa Palomino Pando Zhen Zeng Athos Silva De Oliveira Maria Jose Villar Mondragon Barton Slatko Eric J. Wetzel Rojelio Mejia |
| author_sort | Carlos Pineda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Soil is a reservoir for many parasites that can affect human and animal health, especially in tropical regions where soil-transmitted helminths and protozoa thrive. Understanding how environmental factors influence parasite distribution will provide a basis for relating how climate changes may intensify their impacts, altering parasite habitats and increasing transmission risks. We surveyed soil parasite prevalence, burden, and diversity in several different Peruvian environmental ecologies to catalog current parasite presence and provide a baseline for future surveys. Methods A total of 198 soil samples from 43 locations across three Peruvian regions—Tingo María (TM) (Amazon rainforest), Andabamba/Marabamba (A/M) (Andean highlands), and Huánuco city parks—were analyzed using multi-parallel quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to detect soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and protozoan DNA from entry, patio, and latrine sites. Results Parasites were detected in 93% of locations, with 84% showing polyparasitism. TM houses had a higher odds ratio of contamination with Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura than those in A/M. TM also showed significantly higher odds of helminth contamination in patios than entries. TM had significantly more parasite species, with helminth species significantly higher in the patio versus entry. A/M had higher protozoan prevalence with Blastocystis species, with a greater odd ratios to TM. A/M had an increase of Acanthamoeba species in patios versus entries, indicating a niche favoring protozoans in these arid conditions. Conclusions The observed variability in soil parasite prevalence between tropical rainforest and highland regions highlights the influence of environmental niches on parasite distribution, which may shift further due to climate change. This study demonstrates a sensitive approach to monitoring environmental contamination with parasites by leveraging qPCR. The findings underscore the importance of ecological surveillance for assessing parasitic transmission risks, which is crucial for guiding public health interventions, especially as environmental changes accelerate. Graphical abstract |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-16c4efedb3ae43aa9d4c5cecbdd82c30 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1756-3305 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | Parasites & Vectors |
| spelling | doaj-art-16c4efedb3ae43aa9d4c5cecbdd82c302025-08-20T03:04:59ZengBMCParasites & Vectors1756-33052025-04-0118111110.1186/s13071-025-06762-7Parasite contamination of soil in different Peruvian locations and outside built environmentsCarlos Pineda0Maritza Dalí Camones Rivera1Eddyson Montalva Sabino2Lucia Estela Mejia3Katherine Elizabeth Keegan4Lizbet Pilar Patricio Alvarez5Javier Jorge Mora6Fernanda Espinoza Vega7Emilio Rey Mejia8Patrick Olivas Herrera9Elisa Palomino Pando10Zhen Zeng11Athos Silva De Oliveira12Maria Jose Villar Mondragon13Barton Slatko14Eric J. Wetzel15Rojelio Mejia16Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Hermilio ValdizánFacultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Hermilio ValdizánFacultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Hermilio ValdizánLaboratory of Human and Environmental Parasitology, Pediatrics Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of MedicineLaboratory of Human and Environmental Parasitology, Pediatrics Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of MedicineFacultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Hermilio ValdizánFacultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Hermilio ValdizánFacultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Hermilio ValdizánRobert Turner College and Career High SchoolFacultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Hermilio ValdizánFacultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Hermilio ValdizánDepartment of Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of HoustonLaboratory of Human and Environmental Parasitology, Pediatrics Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of MedicineLaboratory of Human and Environmental Parasitology, Pediatrics Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of MedicineLaboratory of Human and Environmental Parasitology, Pediatrics Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Biology and Global Health Initiative, Wabash CollegeLaboratory of Human and Environmental Parasitology, Pediatrics Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of MedicineAbstract Background Soil is a reservoir for many parasites that can affect human and animal health, especially in tropical regions where soil-transmitted helminths and protozoa thrive. Understanding how environmental factors influence parasite distribution will provide a basis for relating how climate changes may intensify their impacts, altering parasite habitats and increasing transmission risks. We surveyed soil parasite prevalence, burden, and diversity in several different Peruvian environmental ecologies to catalog current parasite presence and provide a baseline for future surveys. Methods A total of 198 soil samples from 43 locations across three Peruvian regions—Tingo María (TM) (Amazon rainforest), Andabamba/Marabamba (A/M) (Andean highlands), and Huánuco city parks—were analyzed using multi-parallel quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to detect soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and protozoan DNA from entry, patio, and latrine sites. Results Parasites were detected in 93% of locations, with 84% showing polyparasitism. TM houses had a higher odds ratio of contamination with Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura than those in A/M. TM also showed significantly higher odds of helminth contamination in patios than entries. TM had significantly more parasite species, with helminth species significantly higher in the patio versus entry. A/M had higher protozoan prevalence with Blastocystis species, with a greater odd ratios to TM. A/M had an increase of Acanthamoeba species in patios versus entries, indicating a niche favoring protozoans in these arid conditions. Conclusions The observed variability in soil parasite prevalence between tropical rainforest and highland regions highlights the influence of environmental niches on parasite distribution, which may shift further due to climate change. This study demonstrates a sensitive approach to monitoring environmental contamination with parasites by leveraging qPCR. The findings underscore the importance of ecological surveillance for assessing parasitic transmission risks, which is crucial for guiding public health interventions, especially as environmental changes accelerate. Graphical abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06762-7Parasitic DNASoilqPCR |
| spellingShingle | Carlos Pineda Maritza Dalí Camones Rivera Eddyson Montalva Sabino Lucia Estela Mejia Katherine Elizabeth Keegan Lizbet Pilar Patricio Alvarez Javier Jorge Mora Fernanda Espinoza Vega Emilio Rey Mejia Patrick Olivas Herrera Elisa Palomino Pando Zhen Zeng Athos Silva De Oliveira Maria Jose Villar Mondragon Barton Slatko Eric J. Wetzel Rojelio Mejia Parasite contamination of soil in different Peruvian locations and outside built environments Parasites & Vectors Parasitic DNA Soil qPCR |
| title | Parasite contamination of soil in different Peruvian locations and outside built environments |
| title_full | Parasite contamination of soil in different Peruvian locations and outside built environments |
| title_fullStr | Parasite contamination of soil in different Peruvian locations and outside built environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parasite contamination of soil in different Peruvian locations and outside built environments |
| title_short | Parasite contamination of soil in different Peruvian locations and outside built environments |
| title_sort | parasite contamination of soil in different peruvian locations and outside built environments |
| topic | Parasitic DNA Soil qPCR |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06762-7 |
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