Snail host spatiotemporal distribution and its association to Fasciola in environmental waters in the highlands of Peru

The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the seasonal variations of snail abundance and species diversity in highly endemic regions of Peru and their association with the burden of Fasciola in the environment using water eDNA analysis. The specific aims of this study are:

Specific Aim 1:
Develop and use real time single and multiplex PCR tests targeting mitochondrial and nucleic genes to identify snail genus and Lymnaeid.

Specific Aim 2:
Correlate the variation and abundance of genera and species with the levels of Fasciola eDNA in the same samples taking into account their tempogeographical distribution.

University of Texas Medical Branch, as the sub-awardee, will be responsible for oversite of implementation for the Scope of Work. University of Texas Medical Branch will work with the TMRC CC to meet all appropriate reporting requirements on study status and results required by the TMRC CC and NIAID.