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Kameni M, Musaigwa F, Kamguia LM, Kamdem SD, Mbanya G, Lamberton PHL, Komguep Nono J. Harnessing Schistosoma-associated metabolite changes in the human host to identify biomarkers of infection and morbidity: Where are we and what should we do next? PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012009. [PMID: 38512811 PMCID: PMC10956858 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is the second most widespread parasitic disease affecting humans. A key component of today's infection control measures is the diagnosis and monitoring of infection, informing individual- and community-level treatment. However, newly acquired infections and/or low parasite burden are still difficult to diagnose reliably. Furthermore, even though the pathological consequence of schistosome egg sequestration in host tissues is well described, the evidence linking egg burden to morbidity is increasingly challenged, making it inadequate for pathology monitoring. In the last decades, omics-based instruments and methods have been developed, adjusted, and applied in parasitic research. In particular, the profiling of the most reliable determinants of phenotypes, metabolites by metabolomics, emerged as a powerful boost in the understanding of basic interactions within the human host during infection. As such, the fine detection of host metabolites produced upon exposure to parasites such as Schistosoma spp. and the ensuing progression of the disease are believed to enable the identification of Schistosoma spp. potential biomarkers of infection and associated pathology. However, attempts to provide such a comprehensive understanding of the alterations of the human metabolome during schistosomiasis are rare, limited in their design when performed, and mostly inconclusive. In this review, we aimed to briefly summarize the most robust advances in knowledge on the changes in host metabolic profile during Schistosoma infections and provide recommendations for approaches to optimize the identification of metabolomic signatures of human schistosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mireille Kameni
- Unit of Immunobiology and Helminth Infections, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plant Studies (IMPM), Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Bamenda, Bambili, North-West Region, Cameroon
| | - Fungai Musaigwa
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Leonel Meyo Kamguia
- Unit of Immunobiology and Helminth Infections, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plant Studies (IMPM), Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Severin Donald Kamdem
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Gladice Mbanya
- Unit of Immunobiology and Helminth Infections, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plant Studies (IMPM), Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Poppy H. L. Lamberton
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Justin Komguep Nono
- Unit of Immunobiology and Helminth Infections, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plant Studies (IMPM), Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Division of Immunology, Health Science Faculty, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Blair D. Paragonimiasis. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1454:203-238. [PMID: 39008267 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-60121-7_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Paragonimiasis is a zoonotic disease caused by lung flukes of the genus Paragonimus. Humans usually become infected by eating freshwater crabs or crayfish containing encysted metacercariae of these worms. However, an alternative route of infection exists: ingestion of raw meat from a mammalian paratenic host. Adult worms normally occur in pairs in cysts in the lungs from which they void their eggs via air passages. The pulmonary form is typical in cases of human infection due to P. westermani, P. heterotremus, and a few other species. Worms may occupy other sites in the body, notably the brain, but lung flukes have made their presence felt in almost every organ. Ectopic paragonimiasis is particularly common when infection is due to members of the P. skrjabini complex. Human paragonimiasis occurs primarily in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, with different species being responsible in different areas (Table 6.1).
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Affiliation(s)
- David Blair
- James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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Abstract
Paragonimiasis is a zoonotic disease caused by lung flukes of the genus Paragonimus. Humans usually become infected by eating freshwater crabs or crayfish containing encysted metacercariae of these worms. However, an alternative route of infection exists: ingestion of raw meat from a mammalian paratenic host. Adult worms normally occur in pairs in cysts in the lungs from which they void their eggs via air passages. The pulmonary form is typical in cases of human infection due to P. westermani, P. heterotremus, and a few other species (Table 5.1). Worms may occupy other sites in the body, notably the brain, but lung flukes have made their presence felt in almost every organ. Ectopic paragonimiasis is particularly common when infection is due to members of the P. skrjabini complex (Table 5.1). Human paragonimiasis occurs primarily in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, with different species being responsible in different areas (Table 5.1).
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Affiliation(s)
- David Blair
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.
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Haçarız O, Sayers GP. Genererating a core cluster of Fasciola hepatica virulence and immunomodulation-related genes using a comparative in silico approach. Res Vet Sci 2018; 117:271-276. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2017.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Stutzer C, Richards SA, Ferreira M, Baron S, Maritz-Olivier C. Metazoan Parasite Vaccines: Present Status and Future Prospects. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018; 8:67. [PMID: 29594064 PMCID: PMC5859119 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic parasites and pathogens continue to cause some of the most detrimental and difficult to treat diseases (or disease states) in both humans and animals, while also continuously expanding into non-endemic countries. Combined with the ever growing number of reports on drug-resistance and the lack of effective treatment programs for many metazoan diseases, the impact that these organisms will have on quality of life remain a global challenge. Vaccination as an effective prophylactic treatment has been demonstrated for well over 200 years for bacterial and viral diseases. From the earliest variolation procedures to the cutting edge technologies employed today, many protective preparations have been successfully developed for use in both medical and veterinary applications. In spite of the successes of these applications in the discovery of subunit vaccines against prokaryotic pathogens, not many targets have been successfully developed into vaccines directed against metazoan parasites. With the current increase in -omics technologies and metadata for eukaryotic parasites, target discovery for vaccine development can be expedited. However, a good understanding of the host/vector/pathogen interface is needed to understand the underlying biological, biochemical and immunological components that will confer a protective response in the host animal. Therefore, systems biology is rapidly coming of age in the pursuit of effective parasite vaccines. Despite the difficulties, a number of approaches have been developed and applied to parasitic helminths and arthropods. This review will focus on key aspects of vaccine development that require attention in the battle against these metazoan parasites, as well as successes in the field of vaccine development for helminthiases and ectoparasites. Lastly, we propose future direction of applying successes in pursuit of next generation vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Stutzer
- Tick Vaccine Group, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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Shepherd C, Wangchuk P, Loukas A. Of dogs and hookworms: man's best friend and his parasites as a model for translational biomedical research. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:59. [PMID: 29370855 PMCID: PMC5785905 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2621-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
We present evidence that the dog hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum) is underutilised in the study of host-parasite interactions, particularly as a proxy for the human-hookworm relationship. The inability to passage hookworms through all life stages in vitro means that adult stage hookworms have to be harvested from the gut of their definitive hosts for ex vivo research. This makes study of the human-hookworm interface difficult for technical and ethical reasons. The historical association of humans, dogs and hookworms presents a unique triad of positive evolutionary pressure to drive the A. caninum-canine interaction to reflect that of the human-hookworm relationship. Here we discuss A. caninum as a proxy for human hookworm infection and situate this hookworm model within the current research agenda, including the various 'omics' applications and the search for next generation biologics to treat a plethora of human diseases. Historically, the dog hookworm has been well described on a physiological and biochemical level, with an increasing understanding of its role as a human zoonosis. With its similarity to human hookworm, the recent publications of hookworm genomes and other omics databases, as well as the ready availability of these parasites for ex vivo culture, the dog hookworm presents itself as a valuable tool for discovery and translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Shepherd
- Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia.
| | - Phurpa Wangchuk
- Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - Alex Loukas
- Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia.
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Wit J, Gilleard JS. Resequencing Helminth Genomes for Population and Genetic Studies. Trends Parasitol 2017; 33:388-399. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2017.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Revised: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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