Large outbreak of urogenital schistosomiasis acquired in Southern Corsica, France: monitoring early signs of endemicization?

Noël, Harold; Ruello, Marc; Maccary, A.; Pelat, Camille; Sommen, Cécile; Boissier, Jérôme; Barre‐Cardi, Hélène; Fillaux, Judith; Termignon, J. L.; Debruyne, Monique; Chydériotis, Georges; Durand, José Carlos Garcia; Ramalli, L.; Chiappini, J.-D.; Malfait, P; Berry, Antoine

doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2017.06.026

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Thus, we can expect that for the hybrid parasite eggs may also be released in part in the feces. This could explain, together with the low parasite intensity, why only 30% of patients infected in Corsica excreted eggs in the urine [20]. The route of excretion associated with egg shape is the gold standard for diagnostic and species determination, nevertheless our results confirm earlier publications showing that it is impossible to detect hybridization in schistosome species using egg morphology alone [21].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

Morphological and genomic characterisation of the hybrid schistosome infecting humans in Europe reveals a complex admixture between Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis parasites

Kincaid-Smith

Tracey

Augusto

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Schistosomes cause schistosomiasis, the world’s second most important parasitic disease after malaria. A peculiar feature of schistosomes is their ability to produce viable and fertile hybrids. Originally only present in the tropics, schistosomiasis is now also endemic in Europe. Based on two genetic markers the European species had been identified as a hybrid between the ruminant-infective Schistosoma bovis and the human-infective Schistosoma haematobium.Here we describe for the first time the genomic composition of the European schistosome hybrid (77% of S. haematobium and 23% of S. bovis origins), its morphometric parameters and its compatibility with the European vector snail and intermediate host Compatibility is a key parameter for the parasites life cycle progression. We also show that egg morphology (a classical diagnostic parameter) does not allow for differential diagnosis while genetic tests do so. Additionally, we performed genome assembly improvement and annotation of S. bovis, the parental species for which no satisfactory genome assembly was available.For the first time since the discovery of hybrid schistosomes, these results reveal at the whole genomic level a complex admixture of parental genomes highlighting (i) the high permeability of schistosomes to other species’ alleles, and (ii) the importance of hybrid formation for pushing species boundaries not only conceptionally but also geographically.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

Morphological and genomic characterisation of the hybrid schistosome infecting humans in Europe reveals a complex admixture between Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis parasites

Kincaid-Smith

Tracey

Augusto

et al. 2018

Preprint

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“…Some positive patients emitting schistosome eggs could serve as reservoir for schistosome infection in Corsica. This hypothesis is likely because up to 66% of the patients that have been found to be infected so far were asymptotic [54], the diagnosis is difficult to establish and false negative are possible [54–56], and the median time for first symptom apparition is 30 weeks [54]. To conclude, even if the most likely hypothesis is that local people initially infected in 2013 re-contaminated the river during subsequent summers, we cannot definitively rule out the possibility of an animal species acting as reservoir host.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The increasing movements of humans and animals and the ongoing climate changes at the global scale are expected to promote the emergence or the spread of tropical infectious diseases in temperate areas [1]. In this context, in summer 2013 more than 100 cases of human urogenital schistosomiasis were contracted in a very confined locality in the south of Europe (Corsica, France) [2, 3]. In summer 2014 the incriminated river (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiological surveillance of schistosomiasis outbreak in Corsica (France): Are animal reservoir hosts implicated in local transmission?

et al. 2019

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Environmental and anthropogenic changes are expected to promote emergence and spread of pathogens worldwide. Since 2013, human urogenital schistosomiasis is established in Corsica island (France). Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease affecting both humans and animals. The parasite involved in the Corsican outbreak is a hybrid form between Schistosoma haematobium, a human parasite, and Schistosoma bovis, a livestock parasite. S. bovis has been detected in Corsican livestock few decades ago raising the questions whether hybridization occurred in Corsica and if animals could behave as a reservoir for the recently established parasite lineage. The latter hypothesis has huge epidemiological outcomes since the emergence of a zoonotic lineage of schistosomes would be considerably harder to control and eradicate the disease locally and definitively needs to be verified. In this study we combined a sero-epidemiological survey on ruminants and a rodent trapping campaign to check whether schistosomes could shift on vertebrate hosts other than humans. A total of 3,519 domesticated animals (1,147 cattle; 671 goats and 1,701 sheep) from 160 farms established in 14 municipalities were sampled. From these 3,519 screened animals, 17 were found to be serologically positive but were ultimately considered as false positive after complementary analyses. Additionally, our 7-day extensive rodent trapping (i.e. 1,949 traps placed) resulted in the capture of a total of 34 rats (Rattus rattus) and 4 mice (Mus musculus). Despite the low number of rodents captured, molecular diagnostic tests showed that two of them have been found to be infected by schistosomes. Given the low abundance of rodents and the low parasitic prevalence and intensity among rodents, it is unlikely that neither rats nor ruminants play a significant role in the maintenance of schistosomiasis outbreak in Corsica. Finally, the most likely hypothesis is that local people initially

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“…In 2013 and 2015, two independent outbreaks of Schistosomiasis occurred in southern Europe (Corsica Island, France) with around 300 estimated cases ( 103 , 104 ). The occurrence of this tropical disease in higher latitude was unanticipated and caught scientists and health authorities unprepared.…”

Section: One Health Concept Successes In the Integration Of Its Ecosymentioning

confidence: 99%

The One Health Concept: 10 Years Old and a Long Road Ahead

et al. 2018

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Over the past decade, a significant increase in the circulation of infectious agents was observed. With the spread and emergence of epizootics, zoonoses, and epidemics, the risks of pandemics became more and more critical. Human and animal health has also been threatened by antimicrobial resistance, environmental pollution, and the development of multifactorial and chronic diseases. This highlighted the increasing globalization of health risks and the importance of the human–animal–ecosystem interface in the evolution and emergence of pathogens. A better knowledge of causes and consequences of certain human activities, lifestyles, and behaviors in ecosystems is crucial for a rigorous interpretation of disease dynamics and to drive public policies. As a global good, health security must be understood on a global scale and from a global and crosscutting perspective, integrating human health, animal health, plant health, ecosystems health, and biodiversity. In this study, we discuss how crucial it is to consider ecological, evolutionary, and environmental sciences in understanding the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases and in facing the challenges of antimicrobial resistance. We also discuss the application of the “One Health” concept to non-communicable chronic diseases linked to exposure to multiple stresses, including toxic stress, and new lifestyles. Finally, we draw up a list of barriers that need removing and the ambitions that we must nurture for the effective application of the “One Health” concept. We conclude that the success of this One Health concept now requires breaking down the interdisciplinary barriers that still separate human and veterinary medicine from ecological, evolutionary, and environmental sciences. The development of integrative approaches should be promoted by linking the study of factors underlying stress responses to their consequences on ecosystem functioning and evolution. This knowledge is required for the development of novel control strategies inspired by environmental mechanisms leading to desired equilibrium and dynamics in healthy ecosystems and must provide in the near future a framework for more integrated operational initiatives.

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Large outbreak of urogenital schistosomiasis acquired in Southern Corsica, France: monitoring early signs of endemicization?

Abstract: Besides the 2013 outbreak, there is evidence of small-scale transmission in 2015 in Corsica. Early detection and control of recurrences requires raising community and medical awareness.

Cited by 21 publications

References 18 publications

Morphological and genomic characterisation of the hybrid schistosome infecting humans in Europe reveals a complex admixture between Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis parasites

Morphological and genomic characterisation of the hybrid schistosome infecting humans in Europe reveals a complex admixture between Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis parasites

Epidemiological surveillance of schistosomiasis outbreak in Corsica (France): Are animal reservoir hosts implicated in local transmission?

The One Health Concept: 10 Years Old and a Long Road Ahead

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