BACKGROUND: Schistosoma mansoni was introduced from Africa to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade and remains a major public health problem in parts of South America and the Caribbean. This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of three S. mansoni strains with different geographical origins-from Liberia, Belo Horizonte and Puerto Rico. We demonstrated significant variation in virulence and host-parasite interactions. METHODS: We investigated the phenotypic characteristics of the parasite and its eggs, as well as the immunopathologic effects on laboratory mouse organ systems. RESULTS: Our results show significant differences in worm morphology, worm burden, egg size, and pathologic organ changes between these strains. The Puerto Rican strain showed the highest virulence, as evidenced by marked liver and spleen changes and advanced liver fibrosis indicated by increased collagen content. In contrast, the strains from Liberia and Belo Horizonte had a less pathogenic profile with less liver fibrosis. We found further variations in granuloma formation, cytokine expression and T-cell dynamics, indicating different immune responses. CONCLUSION: Our study emphasizes the importance of considering intra-specific variations of S. mansoni for the development of targeted therapies and public health strategies. The different virulence patterns, host immune responses and organ pathologies observed in these strains provide important insights for future research and could inform region-specific interventions for schistosomiasis control.

Biomedizinisches Forschungszentrum Seltersberg Justus Liebig University Giessen Giessen Germany

Department of Ecology Center of Infectious Animal Diseases Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Czechia Institute of Parasitology Prague Czechia

Division of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases Center of Internal Medicine 2 Rostock University Medical Center Germany

Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czechia

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