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Pathogens
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Schistosomiasis—Where Are We and Where Do We Want to Go?
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Schistosomiasis—Where Are We and Where Do We Want to Go?

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 5607

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Silvana Belo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – NOVA University, Rua da Junqueira nº 100, 1349-008 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: schistosomiasis; parasite control; immunology; dirofilariasis
Dr. Ana Afonso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Hygine and Tropical Medicine – NOVA University, Rua da Junqueira nº 100, 1349-008 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: drug resistance; schistosomiasis; new diagnosis protocols; genetics; proteomics; metabolomics; transcriptomics
Dr. Pedro Ferreira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Hygine and Tropical Medicine – NOVA University, Rua da Junqueira nº 100, 1349-008 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: schistosomiasis; parasite control; diagnosis; genomics
Prof. Dr. Fernanda de Freitas Anibal

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde da UFSCAR, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos 676, Brazil
Interests: parasitology; immunology; biotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is an infection caused by a parasitic worm that lives in fresh water in subtropical and tropical regions.

The parasite is most commonly found throughout Africa, but also lives in parts of South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia.

The parasites spend part of their lifecycle in freshwater snails. The infectious, larval form emerges from the snail and contaminates water.

People who contact contaminated water during recreational, agricultural or domestic activities become infected when the fork-shaped larval worms penetrate their skin, travel to blood vessels, and develop into adults. The release of eggs from female worms triggers symptoms in infected people, which can include abdominal pain, diarrhea and blood in the urine. In children, repeated infections may cause anemia and stunted growth. Chronic infections frequently result in serious damage to the liver, intestines and bladder. Women who are exposed to infested water through such routine tasks as clothes washing can develop urogenital schistosomiasis, which may result in tissue damage that increases the risk of HIV transmission.

At least 220 million people are infected worldwide, particularly in rural communities where people routinely collect water from lakes, rivers or small bodies of water for household or agricultural use. Among parasitic diseases, schistosomiasis is second only to malaria in terms of the high disease and economic burden it imposes.

This Special Issue is focused on the molecular epidemiology, genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, vaccine targets, new drug treatment and new tools for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis.

We invite you to submit original research and review articles related to the above topics. This Special Issue will provide new knowledge about the epidemiology of Schistosoma helminthic parasites and diseases, which is essential for the establishment of disease control.

Dr. Silvana Belo
Dr. Ana Afonso
Dr. Pedro Ferreira
Prof. Dr. Fernanda de Freitas Anibal
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • schistosoma
  • epidemiology
  • diagnosis
  • human
  • animal
  • mollusks
  • control
  • praziquantel
  • drug resistance
  • genetics
  • proteomics
  • transcriptomics
  • metabolomics

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 10685 KiB  
Article
Dysregulated Glucuronidation of Bilirubin Exacerbates Liver Inflammation and Fibrosis in Schistosomiasis Japonica through the NF-κB Signaling Pathway
by Qingkai Xue, Yuyan Wang, Yiyun Liu, Haiyong Hua, Xiangyu Zhou, Yongliang Xu, Ying Zhang, Chunrong Xiong, Xinjian Liu, Kun Yang and Yuzheng Huang
Pathogens 2024, 13(4), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13040287 - 28 Mar 2024
Viewed by 696
Abstract
Hepatic fibrosis is an important pathological manifestation of chronic schistosome infection. Patients with advanced schistosomiasis show varying degrees of abnormalities in liver fibrosis indicators and bilirubin metabolism. However, the relationship between hepatic fibrosis in schistosomiasis and dysregulated bilirubin metabolism remains unclear. In this [...] Read more.
Hepatic fibrosis is an important pathological manifestation of chronic schistosome infection. Patients with advanced schistosomiasis show varying degrees of abnormalities in liver fibrosis indicators and bilirubin metabolism. However, the relationship between hepatic fibrosis in schistosomiasis and dysregulated bilirubin metabolism remains unclear. In this study, we observed a positive correlation between total bilirubin levels and the levels of ALT, AST, LN, and CIV in patients with advanced schistosomiasis. Additionally, we established mouse models at different time points following S. japonicum infection. As the infection time increased, liver fibrosis escalated, while liver UGT1A1 consistently exhibited a low expression, indicating impaired glucuronidation of bilirubin metabolism in mice. In vitro experiments suggested that SEA may be a key inhibitor of hepatic UGT1A1 expression after schistosome infection. Furthermore, a high concentration of bilirubin activated the NF-κB signaling pathway in L-O2 cells in vitro. These findings suggested that the dysregulated glucuronidation of bilirubin caused by S. japonicum infection may play a significant role in schistosomiasis liver fibrosis through the NF-κB signaling pathway. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Schistosomiasis—Where Are We and Where Do We Want to Go?)
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12 pages, 545 KiB  
Article
Prevalence and Determinants of Schistosoma mansoni Infection among Pre-School Age Children in Southern Ethiopia
by Tafese Tadele, Ayalew Astatkie, Solomon Mequanente Abay, Birkneh Tilahun Tadesse, Eyasu Makonnen and Eleni Aklillu
Pathogens 2023, 12(7), 858; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12070858 - 21 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1341
Abstract
School-based deworming program is implemented to control and eliminate Schistosoma mansoni infection in many endemic countries, including Ethiopia. However, pre-school-age children (pre-SAC) are not targeted to receive preventive chemotherapy against S. mansoni infection, partly due to a lack of information on the disease [...] Read more.
School-based deworming program is implemented to control and eliminate Schistosoma mansoni infection in many endemic countries, including Ethiopia. However, pre-school-age children (pre-SAC) are not targeted to receive preventive chemotherapy against S. mansoni infection, partly due to a lack of information on the disease burden. We assessed the prevalence and correlates of S. mansoni infection among pre-SAC in Southern Ethiopia. A total of 1683 pre-SAC aged 4 to 7 years were screened for S. mansoni infection. A multilevel binary logistic regression was fitted to detect the significant determinants of S. mansoni infection. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to identify determinants of S. mansoni infection. The overall prevalence of S. mansoni infection was 14.3% (95% CI: 12.6, 16.0%). S. mansoni infection was significantly higher among 6-year-old (AOR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.55, 4.27) and 7-year-old children (AOR = 4.63, 95% CI: 2.82, 7.62). Accompanying others to water sources sometimes (AOR = 2.60, 95% CI: 1.12, 6.01) and all the time (AOR = 5.91, 95% CI: 2.51, 13.90), and residing in less than one kilometer from the infested water source (AOR = 3.17, 95% CI: 1.47, 6.83) increased the odds of S. mansoni infection. In conclusion, the prevalence of S. mansoni infection among pre-SAC in the study area was moderate. The study highlights the urgent need to include pre-SAC aged 4 to 7 years in annual preventive chemotherapy campaigns to reduce the risk of possible sources of infection and enhance the achievement of the elimination target. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Schistosomiasis—Where Are We and Where Do We Want to Go?)
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16 pages, 1840 KiB  
Article
Effects of Immunization with Recombinant Schistosoma mansoni Enzymes AK and HGPRT: Murine Infection Control
by Ana Carolina Maragno Fattori, Elisandra de A. Montija, Bruna D. de L. Fragelli, Ricardo de O. Correia, Cynthia Aparecida de Castro, Larissa Romanello, Camila T. Nogueira, Silmara M. Allegretti, Edson G. Soares, Humberto D. Pereira and Fernanda de F. Anibal
Pathogens 2023, 12(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010069 - 01 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1528
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is one of the most important human helminthiases worldwide. Praziquantel is the current treatment, and no vaccine is available until the present. Thus, the presented study aimed to evaluate the immunization effects with recombinant Schistosoma mansoni enzymes: Adenosine Kinase (AK) and Hypoxanthine-Guanine [...] Read more.
Schistosomiasis is one of the most important human helminthiases worldwide. Praziquantel is the current treatment, and no vaccine is available until the present. Thus, the presented study aimed to evaluate the immunization effects with recombinant Schistosoma mansoni enzymes: Adenosine Kinase (AK) and Hypoxanthine-Guanine Phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT), as well as a MIX of the two enzymes. Female Balb/c mice were immunized in three doses, and 15 days after the last immunization, animals were infected with S. mansoni. Our results showed that the group MIX presented a reduction in the eggs in feces by 30.74% and 29%, respectively, in the adult worms. The groups AK, HGPRT and MIX could produce IgG1 antibodies, and the groups AK and MIX produced IgE antibodies anti-enzymes and anti-S. mansoni total proteins. The groups AK, HGPRT and MIX induced a reduction in the eosinophils in the peritoneal cavity. Besides, the group AK showed a decrease in the number of hepatic granulomas (41.81%) and the eggs present in the liver (42.30%). Therefore, it suggests that immunization with these enzymes can contribute to schistosomiasis control, as well as help to modulate experimental infection inducing a reduction of physiopathology in the disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Schistosomiasis—Where Are We and Where Do We Want to Go?)
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11 pages, 291 KiB  
Article
Screening for Schistosoma spp. and Leishmania spp. DNA in Serum of Ghanaian Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency
by Franziska Weinreich, Felix Weinreich, Andreas Hahn, Ralf Matthias Hagen, Holger Rohde, Fred Stephen Sarfo, Torsten Feldt, Albert Dompreh, Shadrack Osei Asibey, Richard Boateng, Hagen Frickmann and Kirsten Alexandra Eberhardt
Pathogens 2022, 11(7), 760; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11070760 - 02 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1428
Abstract
Both Schistosoma spp. (species) and Leishmania spp. are prevalent in Ghana in West Africa. However, little is known about their local occurrence in immunocompromised individuals. In the study presented here, the real-time PCR-(polymerase chain reaction-)based screening for repetitive DNA (deoxyribonucleotide acid) sequences from [...] Read more.
Both Schistosoma spp. (species) and Leishmania spp. are prevalent in Ghana in West Africa. However, little is known about their local occurrence in immunocompromised individuals. In the study presented here, the real-time PCR-(polymerase chain reaction-)based screening for repetitive DNA (deoxyribonucleotide acid) sequences from the genomes of Leishmania (L.) spp. and Schistosoma (S.) spp. was performed in the serum of HIV-(human immunodeficiency virus-)infected Ghanaian patients. In 1083 assessed serum samples from HIV-positive and HIV-negative Ghanian patients, Leishmania spp.-specific DNA was not detected, while the diagnostic accuracy-adjusted prevalence estimation suggested a 3.6% prevalence of the S. mansoni complex and a 0.5% prevalence of the S. haematobium complex. Associations of schistosomiasis with younger age, as well as with the male sex, could be shown but not with an HIV status. Weakly significant signals for the associations of schistosomiasis with an increased viral load, reduced CD4+ (CD = cluster of differentiation) T cell count, and a reduced CD4+/CD8+ ratio could be observed but was inconsistently lost in the case of the stratification on the species complex level. So, it is concluded that factors other than HIV status are more likely to have influenced the occurrence of Schistosoma spp. infections in the assessed Ghanaian patients. Potential associations between HIV infection-associated factors, such as the viral load and the immune status of the patients, for which weak signals were observed in this hypothesis-forming retrospective assessment, should be confirmed by prospective, sufficiently powered investigations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Schistosomiasis—Where Are We and Where Do We Want to Go?)
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