Quinnipiac University
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Nils Pilotte, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Biology. Nils completed his BA in Biology from Elms College in Chicopee, MA, his MS in Biological Sciences from Smith College, in Northampton, MA, and his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Nils' research involves the application of molecular tools to the study of parasites that cause neglected tropical diseases. He is extremely interested in the development of improved diagnostic strategies, and also in understanding the roles played by repetitive DNA sequences in parasitic organisms. Additional interests include improving our understanding of host-vector relationships and in advancing disease monitoring strategies through novel approaches to insect surveillance. Nils maintains an active research agenda and his work bridges both laboratory and field-based applications. His teaching interests include molecular biology, molecular techniques, genetics, parasitology, and tropical disease. Students interested in these areas of research are encouraged to contact Dr. Pilotte about possible research opportunities in his lab.

Education

  • MS, Smith College
  • PHD, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
  • PHD, College of Our Lady of the Elms

Organization

  • Biological Sciences

Office Location

  • Buckman Center 144

Mail Drop

  • SI-TE1

Selected Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal

A train-and-assist device that upskills novices to strengthen the workforce and expand diagnostic access.

Lee M, Pei X, Jin SH, Shelby N, Gera R, Winnett AV, …Pilotte N, et al.

5(7) PNAS Nexus pgag211 June (2026)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Feasibility of interrupting the transmission of soil transmitted helminths: the DeWorm3 community cluster randomised controlled trial in Benin, India, and Malawi

Ajjampur SSR, Aruldas K, Ásbjörnsdóttir KH, Avokpaho E, Bailey R, Cottrell G, …Pilotte N, et al.

406 Lancet 475-488 August (2025)

Peer Reviewed Journal

A Survey of Strongyle Nematodes in New England Dairy Goats and Evidence of Resistance by Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats to Strongyle Infection

Richardson DJ, Wray EM, Watters D, Hanif U, Jalbert E, Thompson E, …Pilotte N

78 Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Sciences April (2025)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Effects of household concrete floors on maternal and child health: the CRADLE trial - a randomised controlled trial protocol

Rahman M, Jahan F, Hanif S, Yeamin A, Kasham Shoab A, Andrews JR, …Pilotte N, et al.

15 BMJ Open e090703 January (2025)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Environmental surveillance of soil-transmitted helminths and enteric pathogens in settings without networked wastewater infrastructure

Siko JEE, Dahmer KJ, Manoharan ZZ, Muthukumar A, Amato HK, LeBoa C, …Pilotte N, et al.

4(1) PLoS Water e0000337 January (2025)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Development and validation of a high-throughput qPCR platform for the detection of soil-transmitted helminth infections

Pilotte N, Omballa V, Voss M, Padgett L, Manuel M, Goodman J, et al.

19(1) PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases e0012760 January (2025)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Comparison of diagnostic tools to assess the feasibility of programmatic use of rapid diagnostic tests for onchocerciasis: a dataset from Gabon.

Atsame J, Stapley JM, Ramani A, Mourou R, Ntsame E, Efame E, …Pilotte N, et al.

57 Data in Brief September (2024)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Comparison of multi-parallel quantitative real-time PCRs targeting different DNA regions and detecting soil-transmitted helminths in stool.

Papaiakovou M, Cimino RO, Pilotte N, Dunn J, Littlewood TJ, Williams SA, Krolewiecki AJ, et al.

17:390 Parasites & Vectors September (2024)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Molecular xenomonitoring as an indicator of microfilaraemia prevalence for lymphatic filariasis in Samoa in 2019

Howlette M, Mayfield HJ, McPherson B, Rigby L, Thomsen R, Williams SA, Pilotte N, et al.

17:382 Parasites & Vectors September (2024)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Soil surveillance for monitoring soil-transmitted helminth infections: method development and field testing in three countries.

Manuel M, Amato HK, Pilotte N, Chieng B, Araka SB, Siko JEE, et al.

18(9) PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases e0012416 September (2024)

Chapter

Control of Human and Animal Filariases: Landscape, Challenges, and Approaches for Control (Drug Discovery in Infectious Diseases

Evans C, Pilotte N, Williams S, Moorhead A

Veterinary Diagnosis of Filarial Infection 1st ed. 125-160 Weinheim, Germany (Wiley VCH 2023)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Optimized strategy for real-time qPCR detection of Onchocerca volvulus DNA in pooled Simulium sp. blackfly vectors.

Doherty M, Grant JR, Pilotte N, Bennuru S, Fischer K, Fisher PU, et al.

17(12) PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases e0011815 December (2023)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Targeting a highly repetitive genomic sequence for sensitive and specific molecular detection of the filarial parasite Mansonella perstans from human blood and mosquitoes

Pilotte N, Thomas T, Zulch MF, Sirois AR, Minetti C, Reimer LJ, Williams SA, Saunders LJ

16(12) PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases e0010615 December (2022)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Integrated xenosurveillance of Loa loa, Wuchereria bancrofti, Mansonella perstans and Plasmodium falciparum using mosquito carcasses and faeces: A pilot study in Cameroon

Pryce J, Pilotte N, Menze B, Sirois AR, Zulch M, Agbor JP, Williams SA, Wondji CS, Reimer L

16(11) PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases e0010868 November (2022)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Evaluating Molecular Xenomonitoring as a Tool for Lymphatic Filariasis Surveillance in Samoa, 2018–2019

McPherson B, Mayfield HJ, McLure A, Gass K, Naseri T, Thomsen R, Williams SA, Pilotte N, Kearns T, Graves PM, Lau CL

7 Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 203 August (2022)

Peer Reviewed Journal Article Review

Community-wide mass drug administration for soil-transmitted helminths – risk of drug resistance and mitigation strategies

Pilotte N, Manuel M, Walson JL, Ajjampur SSR

3 Frontiers in Tropical Diseases 897155 November (2022)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Parasitic Disease Surveillance, Mississippi, USA

Bradbury RS, Lane M, Arguello I, Handali S, Cooley G, Pilotte N, Williams JM, Jameson S, Montgomery SP, Hellmann K, Tharp M, Haynie L, Galloway R, Brackin B, Kirmse B, Stempak L, Byers P, Williams S, Faruque F, Hobbs CV

27(8) Emerging Infectious Diseases 2201-2204 August (2021)

Peer Reviewed Journal

Development of a novel real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the sensitive detection of Schistosoma japonicum in human stool

Halili S, Grant JR, Pilotte N, Williams SA

15(10) PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases e0009877 October (2021)