Pilot study for the detection of pathogens causing cercarial dermatitis in Upper Austrian lakes by DNA barcoding
The pilot study aims to provide the basis for a genetic detection of pathogens causing cercarial dermatitis using the DNA barcoding approach. This includes
(1) establishing a reference database of DNA barcodes of potential pathogens (trematode larvae = cercariae) and their intermediate hosts (freshwater molluscs), and
(2) developing the basis for an eDNA approach to detect species of the genera Trichobilharzia and Bilharziella and its intermediate hosts.
For this purpose, water snails are collected and water samples are taken in selected Upper Austrian waters. The snails are used for cercarial release experiments to collect cercariae, from which the DNA barcodes are generated. Special attention is given to schistosomatid cercariae that cause dermatitis.
Project team
Nikolaus Szucsich (NHM Vienna)
project planning, project management
Susanne Reier (NHM Vienna)
collecting, determination, genetic investigations
Hubert Blatterer, Hans-Peter Grasser, Wolfgang Heinisch
project planning, collecting, cercarial release experiments
Elisabeth Haring (NHM Vienna)
project planning, supervision of genetic investigations (trematodes)
Christoph Hörweg, Helmut Sattmann (NHM Vienna)
project planning, collecting, cercarial release experiments, determination (cercariae)
Luise Kruckenhauser (NHM Vienna)
project planning, supervision of genetic investigations (molluscs)
Michael Duda (NHM Vienna)
project planning, collecting, determination (molluscs)
Florian Billinger, Christopher Gorofsky
collecting, cercarial release experiments
Andreas Chovanec (BMNT), Marcia Sittenthaler (NHM Vienna)
project planning
Photographs from a collecting excursion to the Oedter Lake (c) C. Hörweg
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