Cyclospora Genotyping

Cyclosporiasis, a food-borne intestinal illness in humans, is caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. Outbreaks of this illness can be difficult to trace due to the lack of epidemiologic data and available molecular genotyping tools for C. cayetanensis. In order to assist in epidemiologic case linkage, a robust, rapid and scalable sequencing and bioinformatics based method is being developed in the Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria (DPDM) as part of the Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) initiative at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Cyclospora Genotyping project aims to achieve this by using targeted amplicon deep sequencing (TADS) of genetic markers that can be used to identify and link outbreak genotypes in the U.S. in collaboration with state public health laboratories and international partners. Data from these genetic markers will be shared in this BioProject.