Genetic Monitoring of Invasive Species: Early Detection, Invasion Pathways and Tools for Biodiversity Protection

Section: Zoology

Responsible staff: Alain Frantz, Alexander Weigand

Research strategy: Understanding and Preserving Nature, Society and Natural History

Invasive species represent a major threat to biodiversity, ecosystem health and biosecurity. This project uses genetic methods to improve the monitoring and management of various invasive species. Population‑genetic tools are developed and applied to trace invasion pathways, understand population structure and guide targeted intervention strategies.

A key element of this work is the creation of an early‑warning system based on environmental DNA (eDNA), including the development of a microfluidic platform capable of detecting several invasive species simultaneously.

Current applications include the genetic monitoring of the pathogenic fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal), responsible for amphibian declines in Luxembourg. A specific molecular method based on digital PCR (ddPCR) is also being developed for detecting the environmental DNA (eDNA) of invasive terrestrial flatworms Obama nungara and Caenoplana variegata from soil samples.

In addition, the invasion pathways of exotic carnivorous mammals such as the raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the coypu (Myocastor coypus) are being studied. In raccoons, the spread of the associated zoonotic parasite Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm) is also analysed in Luxembourg and other regions of Europe.

This integrated approach, combining genetics, molecular biology and ecology, enables early detection, effective management and long‑term control of invasive alien species through advanced scientific tools and targeted interventions.

Recent publications :

Frantz, A. C., Lippert, S., Gaasch, J., Heddergott, M., & Kox, L. (2024). First records of the raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) in Luxembourg: evidence for natural spread and a novel introduction. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 70(5), 91.

Porco, D., Purnomo, C. A., Glesener, L., Proess, R., Lippert, S., Jans, K., ... & Frantz, A. C. (2024). eDNA-based monitoring of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans with ddPCR in Luxembourg ponds: taking signals below the Limit of Detection (LOD) into account. BMC Ecology and Evolution, 24(1), 4.

Umhang, G., Frantz, A. C., Ferté, H., Chambrillon, C. F., Gautrelet, M., Gritti, T., ... & Richomme, C. (2024). Surveys on Baylisascaris procyonis in two of the three French wild raccoon populations. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 23, 100928.

Frantz, A. C., Lippert, S., & Heddergott, M. (2023). Microsatellite profiling of hosts from parasite-extracted DNA illustrated with raccoons (Procyon lotor) and their Baylisascaris procyonis roundworms. Parasites & Vectors, 16(1), 76.

Heddergott, M., Lippert, S., Schliephake, A., Gaede, W., Schleimer, A., & Frantz, A. C. (2023). Spread of the zoonotic nematode Baylisascaris procyonis into a naive raccoon population. EcoHealth, 20(3), 263-272.

Maas, M., Tatem‐Dokter, R., Rijks, J. M., Dam‐Deisz, C., Franssen, F., van Bolhuis, H., ... & Frantz, A. C. (2022). Population genetics, invasion pathways and public health risks of the raccoon and its roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis in northwestern Europe. Transboundary and emerging diseases, 69(4), 2191-2200.

Muller, J., Plewnia, A., Böning, P., Frantz, A. C., & Stassen, R. (2022). Quantitative larval monitoring of Salamandra salamandra as an early warning system for Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans detection in Luxembourg. Bulletin de la Société des naturalistes luxembourgeois, 124, 167-178.

Duscher, G. G., Frantz, A. C., Kuebber‐Heiss, A., Fuehrer, H. P., & Heddergott, M. (2021). A potential zoonotic threat: First detection of Baylisascaris procyonis in a wild raccoon from Austria. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, 68(6), 3034-3037.

Frantz, A.C., Schleimer, A., Wittische, J., & Heddergott, M. (2021) Close spatial overlap between the genetic population boundaries of raccoons and the distribution of the raccoon roundworm in Germany. Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy, 32(2), 203-206.

Heddergott, M., Steinbach, P., Schwarz, S., Anheyer-Behmenburg, H. E., Sutor, A., Schliephake, A., ... & Frantz, A. C. (2020). Geographic distribution of raccoon roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis, Germany and Luxembourg. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 26(4), 821.