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Researchers at Harvard Medical
School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and State University of New York Upstate
Medical University have discovered that the Trichomonas vaginalis parasite—the
cause of the sexually transmitted disease trichomoniasis—can be itself infected
by a virus. Trichomoniasis is a common bacterial STD that affects about 250
million people annually. According to Raina Fichorova—leader of the research
team and associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive
biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital— trichomoniasis is associated with
serious consequences for women because of inflammation and risks of
reproductive disease.
The Trichomonas vaginalis parasite
does not invade human cells, but attaches to their surface and feeds on them.
The disease may produce no symptoms for a period of time. The virus,
trichomonasvirus, infects the bacteria and increases its pathogenicity by
stimulating virus-specific inflammatory responses. The increased inflammation
can cause women to acquire other STDs including HIV and HPV. Max Nibert,
Harvard medical school professor of microbiology and immunology and co-author
of the paper, stated that when the protozoa and virus are found together, the
result is an increase in the virulence of the protozoa to the human host,
leading to exacerbated disease. Nibert explains that the virus-parasite
symbiosis is the norm rather than exception with this particular protozoan.
About 80 percent of Trichomonas vaginalis isolates carry the virus.
Trichomoniasis is treated with the
antibiotic metronidazole, but this only treats the parasite, not the virus.
When the parasite is dying or stressed it releases unharmed virions which cause
aggravated symptoms that might increase the danger of trichomoniasis to
pregnant women and their infants. Additional research is required to understand
the viral cycle and structural features that might be vulnerable to drugs and
lead to better treatment of this STD.
The study titled, “Endobiont Viruses
Sensed by the Human Host—Beyond Conventional Antiparasitic Therapy” was
published in the journal PLoS ONE (7(11): e48418.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048418).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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