Laboratory Evaluation of Cyclospora cayetanensis in Wastewater: Expanding Pathogen Targets for Regulatory Public Health Surveillance
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has become a cornerstone of public health surveillance, yet routine regulatory monitoring remains largely focused on respiratory viruses and selecting antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Emerging foodborne parasites, such as Cyclospora cayetanensis , remain excluded from standard environmental surveillance panels despite increasing domestic outbreaks. This study presents a laboratory-based pilot protocol evaluating the feasibility of extracting and quantifying C. cayetanensis from urban wastewater across the Chicago metropolitan area. Using sample concentration via centrifugation and mechanical bead-beating, automated magnetic bead nucleic acid extraction, and digital PCR (dPCR), we demonstrate high-sensitivity detection in municipal influents and sewer nodes. These findings establish a proof-of-concept laboratory methodology to support the expansion of regulatory public health surveillance frameworks to include non-routine protozoan pathogens.
Source: medRxiv
Institution: University of Illinois Chicago
Language: English
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7221463693