Schistosomiasis: From Immunopathology to Vaccines

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to invite you to contribute articles to the upcoming Special Issue of Pathogens, entitled “Schistosomiasis: From Immunopathology to Vaccines”. 

In the 21st century, schistosomiasis remains one of the most common parasitic tropical diseases [1]. The clinical picture is characterized primarily by the host–immune response to schistosome eggs entrapped in tissues and the granulomatous inflammatory and fibrosing reaction they trigger [2-4]. In 2018, WHO estimated that almost 240 million people were infected by Schistosoma spp., mainly residing in Africa (South Africa), Middle East and South America [5]. Most endemic areas are among the least developed countries, whose health systems face difficulties to provide basic care at the primary health level. However, attention has also recently been attracted by confirmed cases of human schistosomiasis, reintroduced to Southern Europe, Corsica [6] and Spain [7], which indicate a potential public health threat emerging, even in western industrialized countries, due to climate change and human migration [8]. 

As there is currently no vaccine available to combat schistosomiasis, drug treatment stands as the sole therapeutic alternative. Praziquantel, an anthelminthic drug, is recommended for treatment, but it does not provide protection against reinfection. Unfortunately, it is difficult to prevent infection in areas where schistosomiasis is endemic [9]. As a result, there is significant pressure to research schistosomiasis and develop a vaccine against the multicellular parasite Schistosoma spp. to prevent reinfection in endemic areas, particularly in children, and reduce transmission. A vaccine against Schistosoma spp. is regarded as one of the top 10 urgently needed vaccines which remain yet to be developed [10].

This Special Issue is intended act as a depository for the compilation of articles that present the up-to-date picture of vaccine development and related research. Original articles and reviews, addressing the following topics and research aspects, are welcome:

• Updates on Schistosoma vaccine clinical trials in the laboratory and in the field.
• Basic research on increasing resistance to infection against Schistosoma spp. in different animal models
• Challenges in vaccine development against Schistosoma spp.
• New vaccine candidates and Omics-technology to identify new targets against Schistosoma spp.
• Advances in vaccine development against Schistosoma spp.: from protein to mRNA vaccines 
• Immunization and infection status in special populations (immunocompromised, pregnant, co-morbidities, and infections)
• Immunizing efficacy of drugs not primarily directed against schistosomes

1.    GBD 2016 DALYs and HALE Collaborators. Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet 390, 1260–1344 (2017).
2.    Bica, I., D.H. Hamer, and M.J. Stadecker, Hepatic schistosomiasis. Infect Dis Clin North Am, 2000. 14(3): p. 583-604, viii.
3.    Stadecker, M.J., et al., The immunobiology of Th1 polarization in high-pathology schistosomiasis. Immunol Rev, 2004. 201: p. 168-79.
4.    Burke, M.L., et al., Immunopathogenesis of human schistosomiasis. Parasite Immunol, 2009. 31(4): p. 163-76.
5.    WHO, 2019. Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases: number of people treated in 2018. Weekly epidemiological record 50(13).
6.    Ramalli, L., et al., Persistence of schistosomal transmission linked to the Cavu river in southern Corsica since 2013. Euro Surveill, 2018. 23(4).
7.    Salas-Coronas, J., et al., Evidence of autochthonous transmission of urinary schistosomiasis in Almeria (southeast Spain): An outbreak analysis. Travel Med Infect Dis, 2021. 44: p. 102165.
8.    Kalinda, C., M. Chimbari, and S. Mukaratirwa, Implications of Changing Temperatures on the Growth, Fecundity and Survival of Intermediate Host Snails of Schistosomiasis: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2017. 14(1).
9.    Sabah, A.A., et al., Schistosoma mansoni: chemotherapy of infections of different ages. Exp Parasitol, 1986. 61(3): p. 294-303.
10.    Cohen, J., Unfilled Vials. Science, 2016. 351(6268): p. 16-9.

Dr. Martina Sombetzki
Prof. Dr. Emil Christian Reisinger
Guest Editors

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