Detection of Parasite DNA in Soil Samples from Rural Yucatan, Mexico

The soil is the primary environmental reservoir for many parasites transmitted to humans that cause disease. Our environmental study used a multiparallel real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay to detect parasite DNA in soil collected from the outdoor built environments of 34 houses in rural Yucatan, Mexico. The number of positive houses (n, %) per parasite species was 18 (53%) for Acanthamoeba spp.; four (12%) for Blastocystis spp. and Ascaris lumbricoides; three (9%) for Toxocara canis; and one (3%) for Ancylostoma spp., Trichuris trichiura, Entamoeba histolytica, and Giardia intestinalis. No DNA from Necator americanus, Strongyloides stercoralis, Toxocara cati, or Cryptosporidium spp. was detected. A total of 65% of houses were positive for at least one parasite, 15% had poly-parasites, and up to six different parasites were detected in a single sample. This is one of the first reports of parasite DNA detected in soil samples from the outdoor environment in Yucatan, highlighting the presence of parasites with both zoonotic and medical significance for rural communities.