Microsatellite (D9S905) Instability in Two Urogenital Schistosomiasis Patients with Abnormal Squamous Cells in the Urine

Abstract

Background: Schistosomiasis ranks second to malaria among parasitic diseases of socio-economic and public health importance. Schistosoma haematobium infection-causing urinary schistosomiasis is widespread in Nigeria. Literature has shown that bladder cancer of squamous cell carcinoma type could be associated with long-term S. haematobium infection. Many studies have also reported genomic alterations in cancers and have detected identical microsatellite instability in bladder cancer and corresponding urine sediment from the same patients. Therefore, this study aimed to detect microsatellite instability in genomic DNA obtained from exfoliated urine cells of S. haematobium infected participants using microsatellite marker D9S905, which is one of the genetic markers located around regions of frequent chromosomal loss in bladder cancer. Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from urine and blood of 24 S. haematobium infected study participants. Microsatellite marker D9S905 located on locus 9q34.2 with allele size 294 base pair (294bp) was analyzed to identify genetic variation between exfoliated urine cells and corresponding blood samples from the infected participants. Result: Microsatellite alterations due to allelic loss were seen in the DNA of exfoliated urine cells of 2 of the participants. Also, previous cytopathological examinations of exfoliated urine cells of these 2 participants revealed squamous cell abnormalities. Conclusion: Bladder cancer is one of the severe complications of chronic S. haematobium infection. Since not all cases of the infection are chronic, this might have accounted for the low number of cases of microsatellite instability seen among participants in this study