2025/10/22 by Sujittra Chaiyadet, Tom Roblin, Anais Fauchois +16 · 1 voice
Immunology and Microbiology · Medicine · #Parasites and Host Interactions #Zoonotic diseases and public health
paper · pdf · doi:10.1101/2025.10.22.683923
openalex publication_date 2025/10/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Abstract Three trematode parasites, Schistosoma haematobium, Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis are recognized group 1 biological carcinogens. Herein, we showed that all three carcinogenic trematodes harbor viruses. Focusing on O. viverrini , we determined virus persistence at discrete life stages, viral tropism for the fluke tegument, and provided molecular and serological evidence of virus transmission to parasitized hamsters. Serological analyses confirmed seroconversion of O. viverrini -infected residents in endemic regions. We observed that antibody titer and avidity against fluke viruses increase in infected individuals with hepatobiliary diseases. Using random forest, we showed that fluke virus serologies discriminate efficiently between liver-fluke infected participants without disease from those with periductal fibrosis or cholangiocarcinoma. Altogether, this discovery shows that fluke-borne viruses are a risk factor and diagnostic target for fluke-associated cancer.