Fluke-borne viruses are a risk factor and diagnostic target for diseases caused by carcinogenic trematodes
Abstract Three trematode parasites, Schistosoma haematobium , Opisthorchis viverrini , and Clonorchis sinensis are recognized group 1 carcinogens for their roles in squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder and bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). We aimed to assess the presence of fluke viruses and their association with malignancy in fluke infections. We showed that all three carcinogenic trematodes harbored related viruses. Focusing on O. viverrini , we observed virus persistence at discrete life stages and viral tropism for the fluke tegument, and we provided molecular and serological evidence of parasitized hosts’ exposure to viral RNA and proteins. Serological analyses confirmed seroconversion of residents in endemic sites and revealed that antibody titers and avidity against fluke-borne viruses increase in individuals with hepatobiliary diseases. Random forest models discriminated efficiently between liver-fluke-infected participants without disease and those with periductal fibrosis or cholangiocarcinoma. Thus, we show that fluke-borne viruses are risk factors and diagnostic targets for fluke-associated cancer.
Authors
- Paul J. Brindley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1765-0002)
- Julia Kendé (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7287-9582)
- Alex C. Loukas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0896-8441)
- Nolwenn Marie Dheilly (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3675-5013)
- Thomas Bigot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8504-4675)
- Blaise Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3080-1899)
- Banchob Sripa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8899-5919)
- Sophie Goyard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8937-2796)
- Thierry Rose (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8863-0207)
- Javier Sotillo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1443-7233)
- Sarah Temmam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3655-9220)
- Sujittra Chaiyadet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8536-8589)
- Lisandru Capai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3618-1582)
- David Hardy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5874-4377)
- Elise Jacquemet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7539-3011)
- Anaïs Fauchois
- David Hing (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5725-264X)
- Tom Roblin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1021-6975)
- Thewarach Laha
Institutions
- Institut Pasteur (FR)
- Khon Kaen University (TH)
- George Washington University (US)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AU)
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES)
- James Cook University (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-10-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78561-2
- Primary Topic
- Parasites and Host Interactions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Infrastructures en Biologie Santé et Agronomie
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Khon Kaen University
- National Institutes of Health
- National Cancer Institute