The Schistosomasis parasite is an enormous problem, especially in tropical areas throughout Asia, Africa and South America where residents often bath, drink and cook with water contaminated with the parasitic flatworm. Approximately 200 million people are infected each year, including many children who are particularly vulnerable as they often swim or play in infected water. Most people have no symptoms during the early phase of infection, with fever, chills, cough and muscle aches beginning one or two months post-infection. If left untreated, the parasite can become a chronic illness that causes permanent damage to the lungs, kidney, liver and intestines - and even death.

Over the past several decades, the parasite has been successfully treated with a drug called praziquantel. Despite the drug's widespread use, scientists have never fully understood how it is able to kill the Schistosomasis parasite - until now. Scientists from the University of Minnesota Medical School made a simple, but important discovery about the parasite. Their discovery is especially critical, as it may enable scientists to develop new drugs that work in similar ways should the parasite become resistant to praziquantel.

While studying different species of flatworm to learn more about the basic principles of regenerative biology, the scientists found that praziquantel subverts normal regeneration to produce two-headed organisms. The scientists used this observation to screen for genes that would control this effect, which in turn lead to the identification of molecules that control the effects of praziquantel within a flatworm model. "Our discovery of this new biological activity of praziquantel provides a foundation for defining the relevant in vivo targets of a very important clinical drug," explains Jonathan Marchant, M.A. Ph.D., principal investigator of the study. "Using drugs to make organisms grow two brains may seem bizarre, but the knowledge we gained illustrates the importance of basic scientific research."

News Release: U of M study finds new insight on therapy for a devastating parasitic disease http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-06/uom-uom062309.php June 23, 2009