MicroRNAs during Echinococcus spp. infection: a comprehensive systematic review and implications for diagnosis and therapy.
18 affiliations
- 1Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007, Salamanca, Spain. [email protected].
- 2Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain. [email protected].
- 3Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain. [email protected].
- 4Núcleo Interdisciplinario de Biología y Genética, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Independencia 1027, Santiago de Chile, Chile. [email protected].
- 5Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela. [email protected].
- 6Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela.
- 7Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, 2373223, Valparaíso, Chile.
- 8Núcleo Interdisciplinario de Biología y Genética, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Independencia 1027, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
- 9Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela.
- 10Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
- 11Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
- 12Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
- 13Departamento de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
- 14Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales de la Universidad de Salamanca (CIETUS), 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
- 15Fundación Instituto de Estudios de Ciencias de La Salud de Castilla y León, 42002, Soria, Spain.
- 16School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK.
- 17Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- 18Núcleo Interdisciplinario de Biología y Genética, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Independencia 1027, Santiago de Chile, Chile. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a subclass of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and play important roles in infectious diseases. Echinococcosis is a globally distributed disease caused by various species of Echinococcus. The disease can be asymptomatic in the early stages, but if left untreated, it can lead to severe complications. Like other helminths, Echinococcus spp. exhibit immunomodulatory capacities that favour infection establishment and progression. Currently, there is no fully accurate, non-invasive method for early detection of echinococcosis. This systematic review provides a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature and discusses recent advances in the study of miRNAs during host-Echinococcus spp. interactions, emphasizing their intriguing role in immunomodulation and their potential as biomarkers for detection, disease activity, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring, as well as their possible relevance for future therapeutic research.Methods
This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus without date restrictions to identify studies assessing the diagnostic potential of miRNAs in cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE). Fourteen original research articles were included in the final analysis.Results
Parasite-derived miRNAs have been detected in plasma, serum, and liver tissue, with egr-let-7-5p and egr-miR-71-5p emerging as candidates for CE detection and monitoring. In CE, dysregulation of host miRNAs was observed, displaying cyst activity-dependent patterns associated with inflammation, immunomodulation, and fibrosis, including a consistent upregulation of hsa-miR-146a-5p in plasma and serum samples. In AE, several host miRNAs exhibited altered expression in liver tissue and plasma, with hsa-miR-483-3p consistently upregulated. Comparative analyses revealed partially distinct but overlapping miRNA profiles in CE and AE, reflecting host-driven regulatory responses related to immunomodulation and tissue remodeling with stage-dependent patterns. Most included studies were based on case-control designs, with small sample sizes and limited validation, suggesting high overall risk of bias.Conclusions
Current evidence suggests that miRNAs have translational potential as complementary biomarkers for diagnosis, patient stratification, prognostic assessment, and disease monitoring in echinococcosis and may support future therapeutic research. Nonetheless, methodological heterogeneity and limited validation may contribute to overestimating diagnostic performance and hinder clinical translation.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{rojaspirela2026micrornas,
title = {{MicroRNAs during Echinococcus spp. infection: a comprehensive systematic review and implications for diagnosis and therapy.}},
author = {Maura Rojas-Pirela and Diego Andrade-Alviárez and Verónica Rojas and Christian Castillo and Alejandro Prieto-Rojas and Vanessa Rueda-Cala and Cristina Carbonell and Daniel Salete-Granado and Candy Pérez and María A Pérez-Nieto and Paul A M Michels and Wilfredo Quiñones and Miguel Marcos and Ulrike Kemmerling},
journal = {Parasites \& vectors},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s13071-026-07581-0},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897596},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - MicroRNAs during Echinococcus spp. infection: a comprehensive systematic review and implications for diagnosis and therapy.
AU - Maura Rojas-Pirela
AU - Diego Andrade-Alviárez
AU - Verónica Rojas
AU - Christian Castillo
AU - Alejandro Prieto-Rojas
AU - Vanessa Rueda-Cala
AU - Cristina Carbonell
AU - Daniel Salete-Granado
AU - Candy Pérez
AU - María A Pérez-Nieto
AU - Paul A M Michels
AU - Wilfredo Quiñones
AU - Miguel Marcos
AU - Ulrike Kemmerling
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Parasites & vectors
DO - 10.1186/s13071-026-07581-0
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42897596
AB - Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a subclass of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and play important roles in infectious diseases. Echinococcosis is a globally distributed disease caused by various species of Echinococcus. The disease can be asymptomatic in the early stages, but if left untreated, it can lead to severe complications. Like other helminths, Echinococcus spp. exhibit immunomodulatory capacities that favour infection establishment and progression. Currently, there is no fully accurate, non-invasive method for early detection of echinococcosis. This systematic review provides a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature and discusses recent advances in the study of miRNAs during host-Echinococcus spp. interactions, emphasizing their intriguing role in immunomodulation and their potential as biomarkers for detection, disease activity, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring, as well as their possible relevance for future therapeutic research.Methods This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus without date restrictions to identify studies assessing the diagnostic potential of miRNAs in cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE). Fourteen original research articles were included in the final analysis.Results Parasite-derived miRNAs have been detected in plasma, serum, and liver tissue, with egr-let-7-5p and egr-miR-71-5p emerging as candidates for CE detection and monitoring. In CE, dysregulation of host miRNAs was observed, displaying cyst activity-dependent patterns associated with inflammation, immunomodulation, and fibrosis, including a consistent upregulation of hsa-miR-146a-5p in plasma and serum samples. In AE, several host miRNAs exhibited altered expression in liver tissue and plasma, with hsa-miR-483-3p consistently upregulated. Comparative analyses revealed partially distinct but overlapping miRNA profiles in CE and AE, reflecting host-driven regulatory responses related to immunomodulation and tissue remodeling with stage-dependent patterns. Most included studies were based on case-control designs, with small sample sizes and limited validation, suggesting high overall risk of bias.Conclusions Current evidence suggests that miRNAs have translational potential as complementary biomarkers for diagnosis, patient stratification, prognostic assessment, and disease monitoring in echinococcosis and may support future therapeutic research. Nonetheless, methodological heterogeneity and limited validation may contribute to overestimating diagnostic performance and hinder clinical translation.
SN - 1756-3305
ER -