Fasciola hepatica is a species of parasitic flatworm of global concern, due to its ability to cause fascioliasis in both humans and animals with a significant impact on livestock species. An estimated 90 million humans and 700 million ruminants are at risk of liver fluke infection, with economic losses a serious issue for farming communities. This study intends to uncover novel environmental biomarkers for liver fluke control to improve field diagnostics and subsequently highlight risk areas for F. hepatica infection. To begin, uninfected Galba truncatula snails, an invertebrate host of F. hepatica, as well as infected snails at day 10 and day 42 post infection will be harvested to generate the transcriptome for G. truncatula and to determine key genetic differences between uninfected and infected snails. The study will then focus on the collection of environmental DNA (eDNA) from water inhabited by G. truncatula to identify potential biomarkers that could be used for the development of a field-based diagnostic test. Current diagnostic tests are laboratory-based and include faecal egg counts (FEC) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), but new diagnostic methods are warranted to achieve quick and accessible diagnosis of liver fluke presence onsite to minimise transmission risk.
