Department of Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Human Microbiome and Health Group, Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Parasit Vectors. 2024 Apr 10;17(1):185. doi: 10.1186/s13071-024-06245-1.
Schistosomiasis, also called bilharziasis, is a neglected tropical disease induced by schistosomes that infects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. In the life cycle of schistosomiasis, eggs are regarded as the main pathogenic factor, causing granuloma formation in the tissues and organs of hosts, which can cause severe gastrointestinal and liver granulomatous immune responses and irreversible fibrosis. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiome influences the progression of schistosomiasis and plays a central role in liver disease via the gut-liver axis. When used as pharmaceutical supplements or adjunctive therapy, probiotics have shown promising results in preventing, mitigating, and even treating schistosomiasis. This review elucidates the potential mechanisms of this three-way parasite-host-microbiome interaction by summarizing schistosome-mediated intestinal flora disorders, local immune changes, and host metabolic changes, and elaborates the important role of the gut microbiome in liver disease after schistosome infection through the gut-liver axis. Understanding the mechanisms behind this interaction may aid in the discovery of probiotics as novel therapeutic targets and sustainable control strategies for schistosomiasis.
血吸虫病，又称裂体吸虫病，是一种由血吸虫感染引起的被忽视的热带病，影响着全球数亿人。在血吸虫病的生命周期中，虫卵被认为是主要的致病因素，导致宿主组织和器官形成肉芽肿，引起严重的胃肠道和肝脏肉芽肿性免疫反应和不可逆转的纤维化。越来越多的证据表明，肠道微生物组通过肠-肝轴影响血吸虫病的进展，并在肝脏疾病中发挥核心作用。当用作药物补充剂或辅助治疗时，益生菌在预防、减轻甚至治疗血吸虫病方面显示出了有希望的结果。通过总结血吸虫介导的肠道菌群失调、局部免疫变化和宿主代谢变化，本文阐明了这种寄生虫-宿主-微生物组三向相互作用的潜在机制，并通过肠-肝轴阐述了肠道微生物组在血吸虫感染后肝脏疾病中的重要作用。了解这种相互作用的机制可能有助于发现益生菌作为治疗血吸虫病的新的治疗靶点和可持续控制策略。
