ABO Blood Groups Do Not Predict <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> Infection Profiles in Highly Endemic Villages of Uganda.
Authors
Francoeur, Rachel; orcid: 0000-0003-1860-4374Atuhaire, Alon
Arinaitwe, Moses
Adriko, Moses; orcid: 0000-0001-9748-1207
Ajambo, Diana
Nankasi, Andrina
Babayan, Simon A; orcid: 0000-0002-4949-1117
Lamberton, Poppy H L; orcid: 0000-0003-1048-6318
Publication Date
2021-11-27
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
<i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> is a parasite which causes significant public-health issues, with over 240 million people infected globally. In Uganda alone, approximately 11.6 million people are affected. Despite over a decade of mass drug administration in this country, hyper-endemic hotspots persist, and individuals who are repeatedly heavily and rapidly reinfected are observed. Human blood-type antigens are known to play a role in the risk of infection for a variety of diseases, due to cross-reactivity between host antibodies and pathogenic antigens. There have been conflicting results on the effect of blood type on schistosomiasis infection and pathology. Moreover, the effect of blood type as a potential intrinsic host factor on <i>S. mansoni</i> prevalence, intensity, clearance, and reinfection dynamics and on co-infection risk remains unknown. Therefore, the epidemiological link between host blood type and <i>S. mansoni</i> infection dynamics was assessed in three hyper-endemic communities in Uganda. Longitudinal data incorporating repeated pretreatment <i>S. mansoni</i> infection intensities and clearance rates were used to analyse associations between blood groups in school-aged children. Soil-transmitted helminth coinfection status and biometric parameters were incorporated in a generalised linear mixed regression model including age, gender, and body mass index (BMI), which have previously been established as significant factors influencing the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis. The analysis revealed no associations between blood type and <i>S. mansoni</i> prevalence, infection intensity, clearance, reinfection, or coinfection. Variations in infection profiles were significantly different between the villages, and egg burden significantly decreased with age. While blood type has proven to be a predictor of several diseases, the data collected in this study indicate that it does not play a significant role in <i>S. mansoni</i> infection burdens in these high-endemicity communities.Citation
Microorganisms, volume 9, issue 12Type
articleDescription
From Europe PMC via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: ppub 2021-11-01, epub 2021-11-27
Publication status: Published
Funder: Medical Research Council; Grant(s): MR/P025447/1
Funder: European Research Council; Grant(s): 680088 SCHISTO_PERSIST
Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Grant(s): EP/R01437X/, EP/T003618/1
Funder: Wellcome Trust; Grant(s): 204820/Z/16/Z