Cyclospora cayetanensis genotyping using targeted amplicon sequencing
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a foodborne parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, an enteric illness in humans often arising from consumption of contaminated fresh produce. Development of a genotyping tool for C. cayetanensis sensitive enough to perform at the very low contamination levels encountered on food items would allow for use in linkage of food vehicles to cyclosporiasis illnesses and to estimate the scope of outbreaks or clusters of illness. In this project, a targeted amplicon sequencing method is developed and evaluated that encompasses both the genomic diversity and sensitivity to genetically cluster clinical fecal specimens with contaminated fresh produce.