Schistosomiasis Research Group in the Department of Infectious Disease EpidemiologyHead of Group: Professor Joanne WebsterThe Schistosomiasis Research Group at Imperial is based within one of the worlds leading Infectious Disease epidemiology departments, closely linked to the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative, and focuses on advancing research into Schistosomiasis and host-parasite interactions. Full academic publications listFocus of Research – Understanding host-schistosome ecology, evolution and coevolution.One of the primary aims of our research is to identify and characterise the mechanisms and implications of host-schistosome coevolution.
The aims of our research are thus to identify and characterise the mechanisms and implications of host-schistosome coevolution. This is achieved through a combination of both large scale field-based studies across Africa and Asia, and tightly controlled experiments and manipulation within the laboratory. The results produced from this research programme will be valuable in several practical and theoretical respects, perhaps the most important being to help provide a clear understanding of the long-term dynamics of schistosome infection, particularly in new foci of infection, and help identify where to focus disease control programmes. More generally, the results will contribute to understanding coevolution and the genetics of adaptation in other host-parasite system. Current/recent projects within the group include:
Major collaborators:Dr David Rollinson (NHM, UK); Dr Alan Fenwick (SCI, UK); Professor Louis-Albert Tchuem Tchuenté (Cameroon); Professor David Macdonald (WildCru, UK); Dr Maria Van Johansen (DBL, Denmark); Professor Stephen McGarvey (Brown, USA); Professor Curt Lively (Indiana, USA); Professor BoaZhen Qian (China); Dr Emil Aligui (Philippines); Professor Fuller Torrey (Johns Hopkins, USA). Major Funding:The Royal Society; The Wellcome Trust; Medical Research Council; The Leverhulme
Trust; The Stanley Foundation.; DEFRA., SCI |
Host-parasite co-evolution is driven by the reciprocal evolution of host
resistance and parasite infectivity and/or virulence. Knowledge of the
mechanisms underlying the coevolution of host resistance to parasitic infection
has important repercussions for our understanding of traits such as
host-parasite compatibility, range, and virulence. Moreover, understanding how
pathogens respond to evolved changes in host characteristics may provide a model
for how they are likely to respond to other kinds of change, such as the use of
new vaccines or new drugs to combat disease. A substantial body of theoretical
work has been developed to explore the likelihood and consequences of
coevolution, albeit focused only on directly-transmitted microparasites.
Unfortunately, in stark contrast, very few empirical studies have been conducted
to test the theories in animal parasite systems.
Host-schistosome interactions constitute a unique system in which to study
coevolution. Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease of profound medical and
veterinary importance, second only to malaria in terms of human morbidity and
mortality, with some 600 million people at risk and 200 million infected at any
time throughout the tropical world. Schistosomes, the causative agent, are
digenean trematodes with an indirect life cycle involving sexual reproduction in
a mammalian host and an asexual phase in a molluscan host.