Detection of parasite DNA in soil samples from rural Yucatán, México

ABSTRACT The soil is the primary environmental reservoir for many parasites transmitted to humans through the fecal-oral route, causing disease. Our environmental study used a high-throughput multi-parallel real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to detect parasites’ DNA in soil collected from the outdoor built environments of 34 houses. The total parasite prevalence was Acanthamoeba spp . (53%), Blastocystis spp. (12%), Ascaris lumbricoides (12%), Toxocara canis (9%), Ancylostoma spp. (3%), Trichuris trichiura (3%), Entamoeba histolytica (3%) and Giardia intestinalis (3%). No DNA from Necator americanus, Strongyloides stercoralis, Toxocara catis , and Cryptosporidium spp was detected. A total of 65% of houses were positive for at least one parasite, 15% had poly-parasites, and up to six different parasites were detected in a single sample. This is the first report of parasites-DNA detected in soil samples from a rural community in Yucatán and suggests higher rates of transmission of parasites with both a zoonotic and medical importance.