W.H.O has estimated that schistosomiasis affects more than 250 million people and causes approximately 280,000 deaths yearly. The only treatment available currently to combat schistosomiasis is Praziquantel which is effective at killing the adult worms but not effective at killing the parasite during any other stages of its life cycle.
Stem cells that control the parasite’s life cycle have been characterized and a gene identified linked to the earliest developmental stage of the germline, better understandings of how the stem cells drive development of each life cycle stage may help prevent disease transmission.
Schistosoma parasites begin in lakes and ponds where eggs hatch from human waste into small organisms that infect a particular type of snail. Within the snail the parasite produces swimming cercariae organism offspring that are released into the water which can penetrate human skin and cause infection.
An experiment was designed by the team that mimics infection stage in culture via the cercariae burrowing into a piece of mouse skin. Proliferation of 5 distinct stem cells was observed that initiated development of the parasite into the adult worm. A subset of stem cells were also observed that are linked to development of the parasite’s reproductive system.
The team plans to observe the 5 stem cells as they differentiate and develop into tissues to help find out what the cells are doing and potentially answer question to this human health tragedy, and are excited about their findings as it opens up new research paths to target the parasite when they are most vulnerable to fight off infection.
