Authors

L Cunningham¹;  ¹ Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK

Discussion

Schistosomiasis is estimated to affect 249 million people globally, with more than 90% of cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. This results in over 11,000 deaths per year and the third highest DALY estimate among neglected tropical diseases. Alongside the better-known health complications resulting from chronic schistosome infection is the manifestation of genital schistosomiasis, caused by the passage and sequestration of eggs in and around the genital organs. Genital schistosomiasis affects both male and female members of endemic communities and can result in a range of health complications, such as increased risk of HIV transmission, infertility, and, in some cases, death. Here, I discuss the recent results of the HUGS study in Malawi and the application of our novel HRM assay for the identification of putative hybrid-schistosome cases applied to the study of genital schistosomiasis. These findings begin to address the intersection of zoonotic schistosome infections in the human population and both male and female genital schistosomiasis. Furthermore, we touch on co-infections with other pathogens of reproductive health importance.