New mechanism found on how a parasite leads to cancer S.
haematobia eggs embedded in the bladder wall - Image from the
CDC Public Health Image Library. About 200 million people across
75 of the poorest countries in the world are now infected by the
blood parasite Schistosoma haematobium (S. haematobium). The
infection causes severe urogenital disease, but also causes
bladder cancer in a number of patients and why this occurs is
not clear. But now a group of Portuguese scientists believe they
have the answer – their research shows that the parasite's eggs
can make human bladder cells behave as cancerous cells. And that
key to this – according to the first author of the work Mónica
Botelho– are catechol oestrogens, a molecule derived from
oestrogen (the sex hormone) that was found by the researchers in
the eggs and is known to be highly carcinogenic (causes cancer).
The research, a collaboration of the CECA/ICETA from the
University of Porto, the National Institute of Health in Porto,
Portugal and the George Wa