Ip Yin Cheong Aden, Montemartini Luca, Chang Jia Jin Marc, Desiderato Andrea, Franco-Sierra Nicolás D, Geckeler Christian, Herrera Mailyn Adriana Gonzalez, Gregorini Michele, Jucker Meret, Kirchgeorg Steffen, Lüthi Martina, Mächler Elvira, Thostrup Frederik Bendix, Murari Guglielmo, Mura Marina, Pulido-Santacruz Paola, Sangermano Florencia, Schindler Tobias, Melvad Claus, Mintchev Stefano, Deiner Kristy
School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Diaxxo AG, Zürich, Switzerland.
One Health. 2025 Aug 20;21:101167. doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2025.101167. eCollection 2025 Dec.
Zoonotic malaria risk at human-wildlife-environment interfaces requires surveillance that integrates signals from reservoirs, vectors and the environment. We coupled a drone-based environmental DNA (eDNA) canopy swabbing approach with portable quantitative PCR (qPCR) to detect DNA in situ during a 24-h field exercise in the Amazon rainforest. Drone-lowered sterile swabs into the canopy, which were then extracted and subjected to a multiplex pan- assay targeting five human-infecting species (limit of detection 0.2 parasites μL). Of 12 samples (10 canopy swabs, 2 field blanks; 13 total runs including repeats), one canopy swab amplified in duplicate (Ct = 28.7 and 29.23), while positive controls amplified as expected (Ct = 30.82 and 31.11) and all other environmental samples and blanks were negative. Passive acoustics confirmed co-occurring howler monkeys ( spp.), a known reservoir, whereas mosquitoes were not recovered from concurrently deployed insect canopy traps. The end-to-end workflow, from drone deployment to qPCR diagnostic readout, averaged 1.5 h per assay, without requiring cold-chain logistics. This proof-of-concept demonstrates that intracellular parasite DNA can be recovered from canopy surfaces and read out in real-time, providing upstream, landscape-level intelligence to guide targeted vector surveillance in remote settings. Our approach operationalizes One Health by integrating environmental, wildlife, and vector signals within a single technological platform, representing a paradigm shift from reactive, sector-specific surveillance to proactive, integrated pathogen intelligence across the human-animal-environment interface.
在人类 - 野生动物 - 环境界面处的人畜共患疟疾风险需要整合来自宿主、媒介和环境信号的监测。在亚马逊雨林进行的一次24小时野外作业中，我们将基于无人机的环境DNA（eDNA）冠层擦拭方法与便携式定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）相结合，以原位检测DNA。无人机将无菌拭子放入冠层，然后进行提取，并进行针对五种人类感染物种的多重泛检测（检测限为0.2个寄生虫/微升）。在12个样本（10个冠层拭子、2个野外空白；包括重复样本在内共13次运行）中，一个冠层拭子重复扩增（Ct值分别为28.7和29.23），而阳性对照按预期扩增（Ct值分别为30.82和31.11），所有其他环境样本和空白均为阴性。被动声学监测证实了同时存在吼猴（ 属），这是一种已知的宿主，而在同时部署的昆虫冠层诱捕器中未捕获到蚊子。从无人机部署到qPCR诊断读数的端到端工作流程，每次检测平均耗时1.5小时，无需冷链物流。这一概念验证表明，细胞内寄生虫DNA可以从冠层表面回收并实时读出，为远程环境中的靶向媒介监测提供上游的、景观层面的信息。我们的方法通过在单个技术平台内整合环境、野生动物和媒介信号来实施“同一健康”理念，代表了从被动的、部门特定监测向主动的、跨人类 - 动物 - 环境界面的综合病原体监测的范式转变。
