Schistosomiasis Research
Schistosomiasis infects roughly 200 million people worldwide. Research conducted at USU could lead to an effective vaccine for the disease.
U.S. troops deployed throughout the world face not only threats to their safety, but also to their health. This is often the case when our forces are deployed to developing nations and tropical zones, which harbor organisms not found in the U.S.
A Significant Threat
A primary task of military medical researchers is to study such health threats and devise ways to prevent and treat them. One such threat is schistosomiasis, which infects approximately 200 million people worldwide.
The disease, which is caused by parasitic worms, is difficult to detect and treat. The parasites have been known to avoid destruction by the host's immune system for decades.
Though schistosomiasis is not found in the U.S., it has been frequently diagnosed in personnel deployed to endemic areas, such as Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is particularly relevant to the current conflict because it is present in the population native to Iraq.
Inhibiting Parasitic Development
Stephen Davies, B.V.Sc., Ph.D., is focusing his scientific investigations on the elusory disease, for which there is no vaccine and, currently, only one approved therapeutic agent. With some early evidence that the parasites are starting to develop resistance to the drug, research into new treatments is crucial.
Scientific evidence shows that schistosomes need the human immune system to thrive. Funded by grants from NIH, including an R01, Davies and his USU team are examining the relationship between the parasite and its host, searching for pathway inhibitors that could stifle parasitic development.
This avenue of exploration could lead to both new therapeutics and an effective vaccine.