Schistosomula Cell Atlas

Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by trematode worms such as Schistosoma mansoni. It is a severe and neglected tropical disease (NTD) that affects around 200 million people, especially children.

To unravel the mechanisms that drive the early development of this parasite, we carried out single-cell sequencing of 3,513 larval cells

We identified 13 transcriptionally distinct cell types in schistosomula that include previously unidentified neuronal and parenchymal populations, amongst others.

We also compared to the flatworm S. mediterranea and found similarities between S. mediterranea otoferlin 1 cells and a neuronal Sm-kk7+ population in S. mansoni.