Jérôme Boissier

The female schistosome's dependence on the male to reach sexual maturity has puzzled scientists for decades. Using various molecular techniques, Chen et al . dissect the synthesis pathway of the β-alanyl-tryptamine dipeptide (BATT), emitted by the male into its environment, which induces sexual maturation and egg-laying in the female.

Schistosomiasis is a snail-borne parasitic disease endemic in several tropical and subtropical countries. However, in the summer of 2013, an unexpected outbreak of urogenital schistosomiasis occurred in Corsica, with more than 120 local people or tourists infected. We used a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the epidemiology of urogenital schistosomiasis in Corsica, aiming to elucidate the origin of the outbreak.