Trichuriasis is a serious threat to the economic development of animal husbandry. This research aimed to establish a droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) method to detect Trichuris spp. for the early diagnosis and prevention of trichuriasis in sheep. The real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and ddPCR methods were used for the detection of nematodes by targeted amplification of the ITS gene. Each means was evaluated to optimize the limit of detection and reproducibility. For a recombinant plasmid, the qPCR results showed that the detection limit was 31.7 copies per reaction. In contrast to qPCR, ddPCR was able to detect concentrations below 3.17 copies per reaction. Both assays exhibited good reproducibility. However, the ddPCR method was more stable for low-copy-number detection. This new assay was specific for Trichuris spp. and did not cross-react with other relevant gastrointestinal nematodes. A total of 98 clinical samples were tested with both assays. The results showed that the positive rate of ddPCR (80.6%) was higher than that of qPCR (72.4%). This method could be used as an efficient molecular biology tool to test for Trichuris spp. and could be a new valuable tool for the clinical diagnosis and prevention of trichuriasis.

滴虫病是对畜牧业经济发展的严重威胁。这项研究旨在建立液滴数字PCR（ddPCR）方法来检测Trichuris spp。用于绵羊的滴虫病的早期诊断和预防。实时定量PCR（qPCR）和ddPCR方法用于通过ITS的靶向扩增来检测线虫基因。对每种方法进行了评估，以优化检测和可重复性的极限。对于重组质粒，qPCR结果显示每个反应的检测限为31.7个拷贝。与qPCR相比，ddPCR能够检测到每个反应浓度低于3.17拷贝。两种测定均显示出良好的再现性。但是，ddPCR方法对于低拷贝数检测更稳定。这种新的测定法对Trichuris spp具有特异性。并且没有与其他相关的胃肠线虫发生交叉反应。两种测定方法共测试了98个临床样品。结果表明，ddPCR的阳性率（80.6％）高于qPCR的阳性率（72.4％）。该方法可以作为一种有效的分子生物学工具来检测Trichurisspp。有望成为临床诊断和预防滴虫病的重要新工具。