@article{fdi:010092747,
  title = {{E}nvironmental surveillance of soil-transmitted helminths and other enteric pathogens in settings without networked wastewater infrastructure},
  author = {{S}iko, {J}. {E}. {E}. and {D}ahmer, {K}. {J}. and {M}anoharan, {Z}. {Z}. and {M}uthukumar, {A}. and {A}mato, {H}. {K}. and {L}eboa, {C}. and {H}arris, {M}. and {J}anagaraj, {V}. and {M}anuel, {M}. and {V}arghese, {T}. and {H}oungbegnon, {P}. and {P}ilotte, {N}. and {B}ouko, {B}. and {S}a{\¨ie}dou, {S}. and {L}uty, {A}drian and {R}amesh, {R}. {M}. and {I}bikounl{\'e}, {M}. and {A}jjampur, {S}. {S}. {R}. and {P}ickering, {A}. {J}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{S}oil-transmitted helminths ({STH}) are one of the most prevalent enteric infections worldwide. {T}o control {STH}-related morbidity, the {W}orld {H}ealth {O}rganization recommends targeted deworming and improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene. {C}urrent surveillance strategies for {STH} focus on identifying and quantifying eggs in stool samples via microscopy, which exhibits poor specificity and sensitivity, especially in settings with low-intensity infections. {W}astewater-based epidemiology is a surveillance tool used to monitor pathogen circulation and could replace stool-based approaches for {STH} detection. {H}owever, sampling strategies for settings lacking networked sanitation outside large urban settlements are not well developed. {H}ere, we report evaluation of sampling strategies for soil and wastewater {STH} surveillance in rural and peri-urban settings without networked sanitation. {W}e used multi-parallel q{PCR} assays to detect {STH} {DNA} in soil collected from high foot-traffic locations and three types of wastewater samples (passive {M}oore swabs, grab samples, and sediment from drainage ditches) in {C}om{\'e}, {B}enin and {T}imiri and {J}awadhu {H}ills in {T}amil {N}adu, {I}ndia. {W}e detected {STH} in soil ({I}ndia = 32/95, {B}enin = 39/121) and wastewater ({I}ndia = 24/60, {B}enin = 8/64) with a detection frequency across all sample types of 36% in {I}ndia and 25% in {B}enin. {W}e evaluated which sample locations and types allowed for more sensitive detection of {STH} {DNA} and determined that {STH} prevalence varied by sample site but did not vary significantly within a given sample site location (e.g., samples collected from multiple locations within one market). {F}urther, we determined that wastewater sediment samples outperformed grab and {M}oore swab sample types for {STH} detection. {F}inally, we expanded our methods to include detection of other enteric pathogens using multiplexed q{PCR} for wastewater samples. {O}ur results establish sampling strategies for environmental and wastewater surveillance of a wide range of enteric pathogens in settings without networked sanitation.},
  keywords = {{BENIN} ; {INDE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{PL}o{S} {W}ater},
  volume = {4},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {e0000337 [17 p.]},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.1371/journal.pwat.0000337},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010092747},
}