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Updated: Jul 22, 2025

Mass Isolation and In Vitro Cultivation of Intramolluscan Stages of the Human Blood Fluke Schistosoma Mansoni
Published on: January 14, 2018
The Human Blood Fluke, Schistosoma mansoni, Harbors Bacteria Throughout the Parasite's Life Cycle
Fabio Formenti1,2, Alba Cortés1,3, Michela Deiana2
1Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
While symbiotic relationships between invertebrates and bacteria have been extensively described, studies of microbial communities inhabiting parasitic worms remain scarce. Exploring the microbiota associated with helminths responsible for major infectious diseases will inform on parasite biology, host-pathogen interactions, and disease pathophysiology. We investigated the presence of microorganisms inhabiting tissues of the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni. In situ hybridization using a pan-bacterial 16S rRNA gene probe revealed bacteria colonizing key developmental stages that were successfully removed after antibiotic treatment of live parasites. Understanding the composition and function of the S. mansoni-associated microbiota may lead to the development of novel microbiome-targeting control strategies.
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