Development of a lateral-flow assay for rapid detection of parasitic nematodes

<h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Objectives</h3> Wild animals kept in enclosures are exposed to an increased risk of infection with Soil-transmitted Helminth (STH) due to high animal densities and the resulting heavy contamination of the enclosures. As regular fecal examinations are necessary to monitor and maintain health, a rapid test was developed to detect STH in wildlife. <h3>Method</h3> The rapid test consists of two polyclonal antibodies directed against the nematode SUMO-Protein (C- & N-term). For this study, 102 fecal samples from wild boar, fallow deer, red deer and dogs were examined. The fecal samples were defined by using the sedimentation technique and then used to evaluate the developed rapid test. <h3>Results</h3> The sensitivity of the rapid test was 95.38 % with a specificity of 81.08 % and a accuracy of 90.2 %. <h3>Conclusions</h3> At this time, there is no commercial rapid test for the detection of STH. This rapid test can enable fast disease monitoring to make a decision in the field to save animals health. In addition, this rapid tests for the detection of parasites in wildlife can be crucial in the context of One Health to prevent the spread of disease within a system through monitoring, to preserve biodiversity and to improve global health security.