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Here we present the dataset used in our study entitled "Identification of genomic regions implicated in susceptibility to Schistosoma mansoni infection in a murine genetic model (backcross)". Thus, we crossed the C57BL/6 mouse strain with the CBA one and then the F1B6CBA females (C57 x CBA) were backcrossed with CBA males generating the F1BX cohort of the study. The study consists of the identification of genetic markers of schistosomiasis. High infection levels and severe liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis appear only in a few highly susceptible infected people. Schistosomiasis could be a complex trait disease and it could be possible to identify genetic markers associated with severity. This study uses a genetically heterogeneous back-cross cohort with genetically unique mice. A backcross (F1BX) mouse cohort was generated after two stages; firstly, we crossed a mouse strain (CBA/2J) susceptible to schistosomiasis with a resistant one (C57BL/6J) to generate the F1B6CBA mice; secondly, the F1BX mice were generated by backcrossing. F1B6CBA female mice with CBA/2J males. F1BX mice were infected with 150 ± 5 S. mansoni cercariae each mouse and nine weeks post-infection were euthanized. We considered 20 variables: granulomas; affected liver surface (mm2/cm2); the number of adult male and female worms; eggs per gram of liver and small intestine; eggs in liver and small intestine per female; CD4, CD8, CD45, CD220 in blood or spleen; IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, IgM antibodies. Multivariate models (cluster and principal component analyses and K-means) identified four levels of infection intensity in the cohort. The genetic regions associated with severity were assessed by massive genotyping and genetic linkage analysis using 961 informative SNPs.

Only a small number of infected people are highly susceptible to schistosomiasis, showing high levels of infection or severe liver fibrosis. The susceptibility to schistosome infection is influenced by genetic background. To assess the genetic basis of susceptibility and identify the chromosomal regions involved, a backcross strategy was employed to generate high variation in schistosomiasis susceptibility. This strategy involved crossing the resistant C57BL/6J mouse strain with the susceptible CBA/2J strain. The resulting F1 females (C57BL/6J × CBA/2J) were then backcrossed with CBA/2J males to generate the backcross (BX) cohort. The BX mice exhibited a range of phenotypes, with disease severity varying from mild to severe disease, lacking a fully resistant group. We observed four levels of infection intensity using cluster and principal component analyses and K-means based on parasitological, pathological, and immunological trait measurements. The mice were genotyped with 961 informative SNPs, leading to the identification of 19 new quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with parasite burden, liver lesions, white blood cell populations, and antibody responses. Two QTLs located on chromosomes 15 and 18 were linked to the number of granulomas, liver lesions, and IgM levels. The corresponding syntenic human regions are located in chromosomes 8 and 18. None of the significant QTLs had been reported previously.

[Background]: Systematic screening for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 is a crucial tool for surveillance of the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Salamanca (USAL) in Spain designed a project called “DIANCUSAL” (Diagnosis of New Coronavirus, COVID-19, in University of Salamanca) to measure antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among its ~34,000 students and academic staff, as the influence of the university community in the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the city of Salamanca and neighboring towns hosting USAL campuses could be substantial., [Objective]: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among USAL students, professors and staff and to evaluate the demographic, academic, clinical and lifestyle and behavioral factors related to seropositivity., [Methodology]: The DIANCUSAL study is an ongoing university population-based cross-sectional study, with the work described herein conducted from July–October 2020. All USAL students, professors and staff were invited to complete an anonymized questionnaire. Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was detected and quantified by using chemiluminescent assays for IgG and IgM. Principal findings: A total of 8197 (24.71%) participants were included. The mean age was 31.4 (14.5 SD) years, and 66.0% of the participants were female. The seroprevalence was 8.25% overall and was highest for students from the education campus (12.5%) and professors from the biomedical campus (12.6%), with significant differences among faculties (p = 0.006). Based on the questionnaire, loss of smell and fever were the symptoms most strongly associated with seropositivity, and 22.6% of seropositive participants were asymptomatic. Social distancing was the most effective hygiene measure (p = 0.0007). There were significant differences in seroprevalence between participants with and without household exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (p = 0.0000), but not between students who lived in private homes and those who lived in dormitories. IgG antibodies decreased over time in the participants with confirmed self-reported COVID-19 diagnoses., [Conclusions]: The analysis revealed an overall 8.25% seroprevalence at the end of October 2020, with a higher seroprevalence in students than in staff. Thus, there is no need for tailored measures for the USAL community as the official average seroprevalence in the area was similar (7.8% at 22 June and 12.4 at 15 November of 2020). Instead, USAL members should comply with public health measures.

Schistosomiasis is considered a neglected parasitic disease. Around 280,000 people die from it annually, and more than 779 million people are at risk of getting infected. The schistosome species which infect human beings are Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma intercalatum, Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma guineensis, and Schistosoma mekongi. This disease is also of veterinary significance; the most important species being Schistosoma bovis since it causes the disease in around 160 million livestock in Africa and Asia. This work was aimed at designing and developing a genus-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for detecting the most important schistosome species affecting humans and for the species-specific detection of S. bovis. Bioinformatics tools were used for primer design, and the LAMP method was standardised for detecting the ITS-1 region from S. intercalatum, S. haematobium, S. mansoni, S. japonicum, and S. bovis DNA (generic test) and the NADH 1 gene for specifically detecting S. bovis (at different DNA concentrations). Detection limits achieved were 1 pg DNA for S. mansoni, 0.1 pg for S. haematobium, 1 pg for S. intercalatum, and 10 pg for S. bovis. No amplification for S. japonicum DNA was obtained. The LAMP designed for the amplification of S. bovis NADH-1 worked specifically for this species, and no other DNA from other schistosome species included in the study was amplified. Two highly sensitive LAMP methods for detecting different Schistosoma species important for human and veterinary health were standardised. These methods could be very useful for the diagnosis and surveillance of schistosome infections.

Fasciolosis is considered the most widespread trematode disease affecting grazing animals around the world; it is currently recognised by the World Health Organisation as an emergent human pathogen. Triclabendazole is still the most effective drug against this disease; however, resistant strains have appeared and developing an effective vaccine against this disease has increasingly become a priority. Several bioinformatics tools were here used for predicting B- and T-cell epitopes according to the available data for Fasciola hepatica protein amino acid sequences. BALB/c mice were immunised with the synthetic peptides by using the ADAD vaccination system and several immune response parameters were measured (antibody titres, cytokine levels, T-cell populations) to evaluate their ability to elicit an immune response. Based on the immunogenicity results so obtained, seven peptides were selected to assess their protection-inducing ability against experimental infection with F. hepatica metacercariae. Twenty-four B- or T-epitope-containing peptides were predicted and chemically synthesised. Immunisation of mice with peptides so-called B1, B2, B5, B6, T14, T15 and T16 induced high levels of total IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a (p<0.05) and a mixed Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg immune response, according to IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17 and IL-10 levels, accompanied by increased CD62L+ T-cell populations. A high level of protection was obtained in mice vaccinated with peptides B2, B5, B6 and T15 formulated in the ADAD vaccination system with the AA0029 immunomodulator. The bioinformatics approach used in the present study led to the identification of seven peptides as vaccine candidates against the infection caused by Fasciola hepatica (a liver-fluke trematode). However, vaccine efficacy must be evaluated in other host species, including those having veterinary importance. © 2014 Rojas-Caraballo et al.

Schistosomiasis is a disease with a strong genetic component influenced by socioeconomic and ecological factors. Epidemiological studies have identified several genetic regions involved in the schistosomiasis susceptibility. However, it is not well known what physiological traits are predisposing to the disease. The study of experimental infections in inbred mouse strains with variable genetic susceptibility to the disease offers a good opportunity to tackle this question. F1B6CBA hybrid between the most divergent strains was infected in order to characterize the immunophenotypes that correlate with the susceptibility of schistosomiasis disease in mice. Complete blood counts and immunophenotype were determined at 0, 3, 6, and 9 weeks post infection. Nine weeks after cercariae exposure, animals were perfused and worm recovery was assessed. A large number of hepatic lesions, a reduction in the eosinophil and basophil count in the acute phase of infection and the decreased number of monocytes, neutrophils and B-lymphocytes are phenotypes associated with increased susceptibility to S. mansoni infection.

[EN]: Most Schistosoma mansoni experimental infections are developed in several inbred strains of Mus musculus as definitive host. In contrast, Mus spretus is unexplored in Schistosoma infection studies. Mus spretus provides a high variation of immunological phenotypes being an invaluable tool for genetic studies and gene mapping. The aim of this study is to characterize hematological and immunological responses against Schistosoma mansoni infection in Mus spretus (SPRET/EiJ strain) vs. Mus musculus (CD1 strain) mice. Nine weeks after cercarial exposure, animals were perfused and the parasite burden was assessed. The parasitological data suggests that SPRET/EiJ mice tolerate higher parasite loads compared to CD1 strain. In addition, hematological parameters measured in Mus spretus group showed a significant increase in granulocytes population in early stages of infection compared to the CD1 cohort. Meanwhile, CD1 presented higher levels of lymphocytes and IgG1 in the late stages of S. mansoni experimental infection., [FR]: La plupart des infections expérimentales à Schistosoma mansoni sont développées chez Mus musculus comme hôte définitif. Au contraire, Mus spretus est une espèce de souris inexplorée dans les infections expérimentales á Schistosoma. Mus spretus offre une grande variation de phénotypes immunologiques, ce qui est un outil essentiel pour les études génétiques et la cartographie des gènes. L’objectif de cette étude est la caractérisation de la réponse hématologique et immunologique contre l’infection à Schistosoma mansoni chez Mus spretus (souche SPRET/EiJ) comparée à Mus musculus (souche CD1). Neuf semaines après l’exposition aux cercaires, les animaux ont été perfusés et les paramètres parasitologiques ont été obtenus. Les données parasitologiques suggèrent que la souche SPRET/EiJ tolère des charges parasitaires plus élevées que la souche CD1. Les paramètres hématologiques mesurés chez SPRET/EiJ ont montré aussi une augmentation significative de la population des granulocytes dans les premiers stades de l’infection par comparaison à la cohorte CD1. Cependant, la souche CD1 a présenté des niveaux plus élevés de lymphocytes et IgG1 dans les stades tardifs de l’infection expérimentale à S. mansoni.