Opisthorchiasis, is a
hepatobiliary disease caused by flukes of the trematode family Opisthorchiidae. A chronic form of the disease implies a prolonged coexistence of a host and the parasite. The pathological changes inflicted by the worm to the host's hepatobiliary system are well documented. Yet, the response to the
infection also triggers a deep remodeling of the host systemic metabolism reaching a new homeostasis and affecting the organs beyond the worm location. Understanding the metabolic alternation in chronic
opisthorchiasis, could help us to pinpoint pathways that underlie
infection opening possibilities for the development of more selective treatment strategies. Here, with this report we apply an integrative, multicompartment metabolomics analysis, using multiple biofluids, stool samples and
tissue extracts to describe metabolic changes in Opisthorchis felineus infected animals at the chronic stage. We show that the shift in lipid metabolism in the serum, a depletion of the
amino acids pool, an alteration of the ketogenic pathways in the jejunum and a suppressed metabolic activity of the spleen are the key features of the metabolic host adaptation at the chronic stage of O. felineus
infection. We describe this combination of the metabolic changes as a "metabolically mediated immunosuppressive status of organism" which develops during a
chronic infection. This status in combination with other factors (e.g., parasite-derived
immunomodulators) might increase risk of
infection-related
malignancy.