Cercarial dermatitis is an unpleasant skin condition that people can contract while swimming in natural water bodies. The disease is caused by trematodes from the group of bird schistosomes (e.g., the genus Trichobilharzia), which accidentally penetrate human skin while searching for their true hosts – waterfowl. In recent years, the number of reported cases in Europe has been increasing, representing not only a health but also an economic risk, particularly in recreational areas.
At our department, the project Seek and ye shall find: Molecular surveillance of bird schistosomes and swimmer’s itch, funded as an academic minigrant within the 4EU+ Alliance, was established. Its aim is to improve the monitoring of these parasites using modern molecular techniques. Our parasitologists are developing methods to detect cercarial dermatitis through environmental DNA directly from water. This approach allows for rapid and reliable detection of bird schistosomes without the time-consuming need to collect and examine aquatic snails, in which the parasites develop. Our team has tested these new molecular methods directly in the field at sites in Poland and Denmark, where cercarial dermatitis outbreaks have repeatedly occurred in recent years.
The project involves collaboration between our helminthologists (Tomáš Macháček et al.) and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen (Kurt Buchmann et al.) and the University of Warsaw (Anna Karnkowska et al.). The main benefits include exchanging experiences, raising awareness of new methods, and testing them under field conditions. The project also strengthens links between institutions and engages many students, who learn both fieldwork and modern molecular techniques. This way, the project not only advances knowledge of cercarial dermatitis but also trains the next generation of specialists.
