Circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA fragment: A possible marker for early detection of Schistosoma japonicum

Schistosomiasis is a major public health problem that is included in the neglected tropical diseases. The early diagnosis and detection of the pathogen are of critical importance in the control of the disease. The diagnostic techniques in use include the detection of worm's eggs in fecal examination or detection of circulating antigens in immunological based assays. These traditional strategies lack sensitivity in earlier detection of the schistosomiasis. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) that includes the fragments of parasitic DNA circulating in the body fluids of host offers an alternative mean for the rapid pathogen detection and thus is a useful diagnostic tool. In this study, we explored the usefulness of the mitochondrial cfDNA markers for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis from the experimentally infected hosts (rabbits and mice). In this study we found mitochondrial DNA fragment cytochrome B gene as persistent and useful cfDNA marker for the early detection of schistosomiasis. We evaluated the sensitivity of cfDNA marker with varying numbers of cercaria. Overall, our results suggest that cfDNA markers can be useful for developing a diagnostic tool for the detection of S. japonicum infection.