In June 2003, a ~5x whole genome shotgun sequencing project was initiated at the Sanger Institute. Also in 2003, 163,000 ESTs (expressed sequence tags) were generated (by a consortium headed by the University of São Paulo) from six selected developmental stages of this parasite, resulting in 31,000 assembled sequences and an estimated 92% of the 14,000-gene complement.In 2009 the genomes of both S. mansoni and S. japonicum were published, with each describing 11,809 and 13,469 genes, respectively. S. mansoni genome has increased protease families and deficiencies in lipid anabolism; which are attributed its parasitic adaptation. Portease included the invadolysin (host penetration) and cathepsin (blood-feeding) gene families.In 2012, an improved version of the S. mansoni genome was published, which consisted of only 885 scaffolds and more than 81% of the bases organised into chromosomes.In 2019, Ittiprasert, Brindley and colleagues employed programmed CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of the gene encoding the T2 ribonuclease of the egg of Schistosoma mansoni, advancing functional genomics and reverse genetics in the study of schistosomes, and platyhelminths generally <https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.41337>. Pathology
Schistosome eggs, which may become lodged within the hosts tissues, are the major cause of pathology in schistosomiasis. Some of the deposited eggs reach the outside environment by passing through the wall of the intestine; the rest are swept into the circulation and are filtered out in the periportal tracts of the liver, resulting in periportal fibrosis. Onset of egg laying in humans is sometimes associated with an onset of fever (Katayama fever).
Life cycle
Intermediate host
After the eggs of the human-dwelling parasite are emitted in the faeces and into the water, the ripe miracidium hatches out of the egg. The hatching happens in response to temperature, light and dilution of faeces with water. The miracidium searches for a suitable freshwater snail belonging to the genus Biomphalaria. In South America, the principal intermediate host is Biomphalaria glabrata, while B. straminea and B. tenagophila are less common. A land snail Achatina fulica was reported in 2010 to act as a host in Venezuela. In Africa, B. glabratra, B. pfeifferi, B. choanomphala and B. sudanica act as the hosts; but in Egypt, the main snail host is B. alexandrina.Miracidia directly penetrate the soft tissue of snail. Inside the snail, they lose their cilia and develop into mother sporocysts. The sporocysts rapidly multiply by asexual reproduction, each forming numerous daughter sporocysts. The daughter sporocysts move to the liver and gonads of the snail, where they undergo further growth. Within 2–4 weeks, they undergo metamorphosis and give rise to fork-tailed cercariae. Stimulated by light, hundreds of cercariae penetrate out of the snail into water. Definitive host
The cercaria emerge from the snail during daylight and they propel themselves in water with the aid of their bifurcated tail, actively seeking out their final host. In water, they can live for up to 12 hours, and their maximum infectivity is between 1 and 9 hours after emergence. When they recognise human skin, they penetrate it within a very short time.