International One Health Symposium 2025

CD8+ T Cells in Urine are a Distinguishing Marker in Schistosomiasis

Oct 14, 2025, 5:22 PM

1m

Area C

Poster presentation Novel Methods Coffee & Poster Viewing II

Speaker

Meral Esen (Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Institut für Tropenmedizin, Reisemedizin und Humanparasitologie (ITM), Abt. VII – Medizinische Fakultät, Wilhelmstr. 27, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Fondation Internationale de l´Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, B.P: 242 Lambaréné, Gabun, Africa; Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (DZIF), Partner Site Tübingen, Germany; Universität Tübingen, Cluster of Excellence (EXC) 2124: Controlling Microbes to Fight Infection, Germany)

Description

Introduction
Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia) is a Neglected Tropical Disease caused by trematode parasites, with Schistosoma haematobium being a primary cause of urogenital Schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). After a prepatent period, paired adult worms produce eggs in the venous plexus of the bladder, which are shed in urine from infected humans. However, some eggs become trapped in host tissues, leading to granuloma formation and inflammation in urinary tract and renal damage.
Rationale
We aim to identify biomarkers in urine and blood which indicate disease progression as other easily assessable morbidity markers are not established.
Hypothesis/Methods
The underlying hypothesis is: Disease progression correlates with increased levels of immune cells, Tubular Epithelial Cells (TECs), and antibodies in urine or blood, which are expected to decline following effective treatment.
Here, we are going to investigate total counts of immune cells and TECs in urine via flow cytometry as well as hematological and biochemistry markers in blood samples in negative controls (n=20), recently infected returning travelers (RT) (n=22), and S. haematobium-infected (n= 9) and uninfected participants (n= 4) from an endemic region (EP).
Results
Our preliminary results revealed that CD8⁺ T cells in urine were exclusively detected in the EP group, especially in S. haematobium-infected EP (median: 96; IQR: 40-286.5), while they were nearly absent in negative controls (0.5; 0-2.8), recently infected RT (0; 0-2), and uninfected EP participants (3.5; 0-424).
Conclusion
This finding shows that CD8+ T cells in urine are a distinguishing biomarker between recently infected RT and EP participants.

External references

• 102

Peer reviewing

Paper

Accepted on Oct 1, 2025 by Inga Regling

abstract3083.pdf