Future schistosome hybridizations: Will all Schistosoma haematobium hybrids please stand-up!
J. Russell Stothard, Sekeleghe A. Kayuni, Mohammad Alharbi, Janelisa Musaya, Bonnie L. Webster
Abstract
Interrogating the genetic make-up of schistosome larvae (i.e., eggs, miracidia, and cercariae) originating from definitive or intermediate snail hosts with molecular DNA methods has, by noting unexpected interspecies hybrids, started a revolution in our appraisal of African schistosomiasis Here, two dominant species of human schistosome exist, Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni, which are transmitted by specific intermediate freshwater snails, Bulinus spp. for the former and Biomphalaria spp. for the latter. The two schistosomes cause either urogenital or intestinal schistosomiasis, respectively Within the S. haematobium group, a further eight sister species are described with S. intercalatum and S. guineensis of medical importance, causing intestinal schistosomiasis, while others, such as S. bovis, S. curassoni, and S. mattheei occur in livestock, with the remaining species infecting wildlife. S. mattheei is also of medical interest for occasional infection and associated disease In contrast, S. mansoni has a single sister species, S. rodhaini, typically found in small rodents which can hybridize with S. mansoni, if given sufficient opportunity