Abstract

We developed a specific and sensitive LAMP method for detecting DNA in copepod vectors. We were able to detect a single larva in a background of field-collected copepods. This method could form the basis of a “pond-side test” for detecting potential sources of Guinea worm infection in the environment, in copepods, including in the guts of fish as potential transport hosts, enabling research, surveillance and targeting of control measures. These fundamental knowledge gaps could readily be addressed with field collections of samples across areas experiencing a range of worm infection frequencies, coupled with field and laboratory analyses using LAMP and PCR.