ISSN 2756-3391
African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2756-3391 Vol. 13 (10), pp. 001-008, October, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Molecular characterization of Schistosoma mansoni among schoolchildren in Côte d’Ivoire
Kpongbo Etienne Angora1,2, Akoua Valérie Bedia-Tanoh2, Maurine Aline N’guiachi1, Vincent Djohan2, Abibatou Konaté-Touré2, Jean Tenenan Coulibaly4,5, William Yavo2, Eby Hervé Menan2, Jérôme Boissier3
1Medical Biology service, University Hospital of Angré, BP 54378 Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
2Parasitology and Mycology Department, Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences Training Research Unit, University of Félix Houphouët Boigny, BPV 34 Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire
3IHPE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, Univ. Perpignan Via Domitia, 66860 Perpignan, France
4Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland
5Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d ’ Ivoire, 01 BP 1303, Abidjan 01, Côte d ’ Ivoire.
Abstract
Received 29 August, 2025; Revised 17 September, 2025; Accepted 18 September, 2025; Published 10 October, 2025
Schistosomiasis remains a great public health problem in several tropical and subtropical countries. Recently in Côte d’Ivoire, we have investigated hybrids between S. haematobium and S. bovis in human urine samples. Moreover, S. haematobium x S. mansoni hybrid has recently been identified in a French hospital in a migrant boy originated from Duekoué, western part of the country. The aim of this project was to molecularly characterize Schistosoma mansoni among schoolchildren in Côte d’Ivoire. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two localities of Côte d'Ivoire (Agboville and Duekoué). Stool samples were collected from schoolchildren and examined by Kato-Katz method to identify Schistosoma eggs. Miracidia were individually isolated and stored on Whatman® FTA card. We analyzed miracidia from stool samples using a Cox1 gene multiplex PCR. Nuclear ITS gene has not been analyzed. A total of 661 schoolchildren was included in this study. More boys than girls (61.9% vs. 38.1%) were included and the highest proportion of children was included in Agboville. The overall prevalence of S. mansoni infection was 9.8% (95% CI: 4.8-13.5%). Of the 239 miracidia molecularly analyzed, 166 yielded positive PCR signal (82.5% in Agboville and 17.5% in Duekoué). Only one case of S. haematobium Cox1 has been identified in Agboville. This case should be hybrid S. haematobium x S. mansoni. Our study reports that intestinal schistosomiasis remains prevalent even if the infection rate was low. Only one case of S. haematobium Cox1 was identified, suggesting the presence of S. haematobium x S. mansoni hybrids at very low prevalence.
Keywords: Schistosoma mansoni, Multiplex PCR, Cox1 gene, Côte d’Ivoire.