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Researchers at the University of Aberystwyth (Wales, United Kingdom) began to attack the parasite responsible for schistosomiasis, a dangerous disease commonly seen in Africa and America from the South but can reach Europe and North America.
According to a study published in PLoS Pathogens, scientists conducted a series of experiments on worms of the species 'Schistosoma mansoni', known as schistosomes, and have determined that the proliferation of these parasites depends on the interaction of two proteins – SmMBD2 / 3 and SmCBX- inside their cells
The researchers used a technique called interfering RNA to get that genes schistosomes produce (encode) a smaller amount of these proteins. This caused the parasite a smaller number of stem cells, which reduced the amount of pathogenic eggs deposited by worms.
"These results suggest that both proteins play a vital role […] since egg production is a key stage in human infection and disease transmission," writes Karl Hoffmann, co – author of the study, in The Conversation. "This is only one step in what could be a path to a new treatment," he added.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (CDC), schistosomiasis – known in many countries as bilharzia – is the second most devastating parasitic disease, after malaria, with more than 200 million people worldwide infected with the parasite and more. "In this era of global travel and climate change, parasitic worms are slowly but surely moving to parts of Europe and North America," says Hoffmann.
WOW. I never knew that people wanted to see #parasite videos so much. Here is a video of Schistosoma mansoni cercariae taken at 500 frames per second. #research #science # ecology #diseaseecology #scicomn #WomenInSTEM pic.twitter.com/1a7omn60Fx
– Karena Nguyen @ Nguyen_4science) June 3, 2018
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