PubMed · 2026-05-19
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.
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.