Current Advances in the Diagnosis of Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease affecting over 250 million people, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is caused by the helminth parasite Schistosoma, with S. haematobium, S. mansoni, and S. japonicum being the most prevalent species. Human infection occurs when the larval form of the parasite penetrates the skin during contact with contaminated waters. The disease can cause both urogenital and intestinal symptoms, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Despite ongoing control efforts, certain populations remain vulnerable. The extent of female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), a neglected gynaecological manifestation of the disease, remains unclear, while the status of male genital schistosomiasis (MGS) is still underexplored. Current diagnostic methods, while essential for individual case detection, epidemiological surveillance, and disease control, have important limitations. Schistosomiasis is also frequently misdiagnosed as an imported disease in travellers and migrants moving into non-endemic countries. This highlights the need for innovative and user-friendly diagnostic tests.
The goal of this research topic is to address how innovative diagnostic tests can improve current understanding of the disease, its prevalence, and its impact on different populations. It also seeks to explore the potential of novel diagnostic methods, including molecular detection techniques and point-of-care tests, in detecting active infection and disease.
To gather further insights into the diagnosis of schistosomiasis, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Development, optimization and validation of innovative diagnostic tests for the detection of Schistosoma infections, including genital schistosomiasis.
• Implementation and evaluation of innovative diagnostic tests for the detection of Schistosoma infections in the context of epidemiology, monitoring and evaluation, disease control, or travel medicine.
• Use of machine learning and bioinformatics to improve diagnostic software and data interpretation in the context of schistosomiasis control
• The use of environmental sample diagnostics (snails, water) for the mapping of schistosomiasis
• Diagnostic aspects of veterinary schistosomiasis, including One health approaches
• Diagnosis of hybrid Schistosoma species
• Cost-effectiveness studies in the context of schistosomiasis diagnosis
• The development, evaluation or validation of user-friendly or field applicable diagnostic tests for schistosomiasis
Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
• artificial intelligence or computer-driven diagnosis
• biomarkers
• clinical cases, such as case reports describing the diagnosis of rare or unique parasites of clinical relevance
• diagnostics on environmental samples, including water and food
• high-throughput diagnostics
• imaging techniques
• immuno-diagnosis, including serology and antigen-based tests
• innovative diagnostic procedures
• veterinary diagnostics (including One Health approaches)
• lab-on-a-chip devices
• microscopy
• morphology
• nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), including PCR, isothermal amplification, and other molecular diagnostic procedures
• point-of-care diagnostics
• quality control, including external quality assessment schemes
• test evaluation

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Schistosomiasis, Epidemiology, Diagnostics, Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAAT), Serology, Antigen detection, Point-of-Care (POC) tests, Travel Medicine

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.