Development of "-omics" research in Schistosoma spp. and -omics-based new diagnostic tools for schistosomiasis

Abstract

Schistosomiasis, caused by dioecious flatworms in the genus Schistosoma, is torturing people from many developing countries nowadays and frequently leads to severe morbidity and mortality of the patients. Praziquantel based chemotherapy and morbidity control for this disease adopted currently necessitate viable and efficient diagnostic technologies. Fortunately, those "-omics" researches, which rely on high-throughput experimental technologies to produce massive amounts of informative data, have substantially contributed to the exploitation and innovation of diagnostic tools of schistosomiasis. In its first section, this review provides a concise conclusion on the progresses pertaining to schistosomal "-omics" researches to date, followed by a comprehensive section on the diagnostic methods of schistosomiasis, especially those innovative ones based on the detection of antibodies, antigens, nucleic acids, and metabolites with a focus on those achievements inspired by "-omics" researches. Finally, suggestions about the design of future diagnostic tools of schistosomiasis are proposed, in order to better harness those data produced by "-omics" studies. Schistosomiasis or "Bilharziasis" refers to the parasitic diseases caused by dioecious flatworms in the genus Schistosoma. The main pathogenic species of human schistosomiasis comprise Schistosoma mansoni, S. japonicum, and S. haematobium. Free living larvae of these pathogens released by variant kinds of snails in the fresh water, i.e., the cercariae can penetrate the skin of their definite hosts and subsequently bring about either egg-induced chronic responses, known as intestinal schistosomiasis (S. mansoni and S. japonicum) and urinary schistosomiasis (S. haematobium; Hu et al., 2004), or, less frequently, some acute reactions like toxemia or cytokine-induced shock (Wynn et al., 2004). These highly debilitating symptoms account for the severe morbidity and mortality incurred by schistosomiasis and render it a key poverty contributor for some developing countries in the tropical and subtropical regions. Moreover, schistosomiasis has also become an emerging threat in non-endemic areas due to the mounting numbers of immigrants and tourists (Patz et al., 2000; Enk et al., 2010). Currently, praziquantel (PZQ) based chemotherapy and morbidity control have become the predominantly adopted strategy for the treatment and control of schistosomiasis worldwide (Qing-Wu et al., 2002; Zhou et al., 2011b). Consequently, monitoring disease transmission, seeking patients for treatment in endemic areas and the evaluation of remedies entail viable and efficient diagnostic technologies, in order to optimize the extant control and prevention project for schistosomiasis (Balog et al., 2010) © 2014 Wang and Hu.