Investigations on the interplays between Schistosoma mansoni, praziquantel and the gut microbiome

Abstract

BackgroundSchistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease burdening millions of people. One drug, praziquantel, is currently used for treatment and control. Clinically relevant drug resistance has not yet been described, but there is considerable heterogeneity in treatment outcomes, ranging from cure to only moderate egg reduction rates. The objectives of this study are to investigate potential worm-induced dysbacteriosis of the gut microbiota and to assess whether a specific microbiome profile could influence praziquantel response.MethodsUsing V3 and V4 regions of 16S rRNA genes, we screened the gut microbiota of 34 Schistosoma mansoni infected and uninfected children from Côte d’Ivoire. From each infected child one pre-treatment, one 24-hour and one 21-day follow-up sample after administering 60 mg/kg praziquantel or placebo, were collected.ResultsOverall taxonomic profiling and diversity indicators were found to be close to a “healthy” gut structure in all children. Slight overall compositional changes were observed between S. mansoni-infected and non-infected children. Praziquantel treatment was not linked to a major shift in the gut taxonomic profiles, thus reinforcing the good safety profile of the drug by ruling out off-targets effects on the gut microbes.16S rRNA gene of the Fusobacteriales order was significantly more abundant in cured individuals, both at baseline and 24 hours post-treatment. A real-time qPCR confirmed the over-abundance of Fusobacterium spp. in cured children. Fusobacterium spp. abundance could also be correlated with treatment induced S. mansoni egg-reduction.ConclusionsOur study suggests that neither a S. mansoni infection nor praziquantel administration triggers a significant effect on the microbial composition and that a higher abundance of Fusobacterium spp., before treatment, is associated with higher efficacy of praziquantel in the treatment of S. mansoni infections.Trial registrationInternational Standard Randomised Controlled Trial, number ISRCTN15280205.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-2739-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Schistosoma mansoni Worm Infection Regulates the Intestinal Microbiota and Susceptibility to Colitis

“…In a previous study in Schistosoma haematobium-infected children, while there was significant alteration of the host's microbiome composition during infection, the administration of praziquantel to uninfected children did not result in microbiome differences compared to baseline measurements (22). Further, in a recent study it has been shown that the presence of certain bacterial genera pretreatment may influence praziquantel efficacy (23). Therefore, the praziquantel/oxamniquine treatment regime used is unlikely to have a direct effect on the gut microbiome.…”

Natural infection withGiardiais associated with altered community structure of the human and canine gut microbiome

“…Enteric parasite infections are among the most common causes of diarrhea in humans in 198 the developing world. While bacterial infections and the gut microbiome have been well-199 studied, the impact of enteric eukaryotic parasites on the microbiome is not well understood, 200 with some reports showing altered microbiome composition (14,(34)(35)(36)(37) while others showed 201 either modest or no impact (38,39). Because these studies often rely on experimental 202 infection with one or few parasite species, they provide limited insight into the broader impact 203 of enteric parasites on the gut microbiome.…”

Gut microbiota signatures in Schistosoma japonicum infection-induced liver cirrhosis patients

“…However, some studies align with our ndings. For instance, Schneeberger et al suggested that S. mansoni infection (in children) does not affect the gut microbial composition [25].…”

“…Recent studies using not only animal models but also human clinical samples have demonstrated a clear relationship between gut microbiota alterations and Schistosoma spp. infection [20,21,22,23,24,25]. However, no study has explored the relationship between gut microbiota and S. japonicum infectioninduced liver cirrhosis; the potential role of gut microbiota alterations in disease onset and progression is still unclear.…”