Worms about town: a citizen science project discovers microsporidian parasites of nematodes through environmental sampling.
Tersigni J, James EB, Reinke AW
Urban Ecology
The microscopic worms tunneling through your garden soil include both plant helpers and plant destroyers — and the parasites infecting them could shift that balance in ways scientists are only now beginning to map with the help of everyday collectors.
Scientists recruited Toronto residents to scoop up dirt and plant debris from parks and neighborhoods, then searched those samples for tiny parasitic fungi living inside microscopic soil worms. They found two species of these fungi that had never been described before, hiding in plain sight across the city. They also confirmed that a species of worm famous in biology labs actually lives wild in Ontario — a first for the province — showing how much hidden life exists in the soil we walk over every day.
Key Findings
Of 127 environmental samples collected across Toronto in 2024, 4 contained nematodes infected with microsporidia, including 2 isolates belonging to entirely new, undescribed species.
Caenorhabditis elegans — the most-studied animal in biology labs worldwide — was documented living wild in Ontario for the first time.
One recovered parasite strain (Nematocida homosporus) successfully infected a standard laboratory strain of C. elegans, opening a direct path for ecological research in controlled experiments.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Volunteers across Toronto collected soil and plant material to hunt for microscopic fungal parasites infecting soil worms, finding two previously unknown parasite species and the first documented wild occurrence of the famous lab worm C. elegans in Ontario.
Abstract Preview
Microsporidia are a diverse group of fungal parasites that infect humans and agriculturally important animals. Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a powerful host for investigating microsporidian...
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