Unisexual infection with Schistosoma mansoni in mice has the potential to boost the immune response against eggs after challenge infection

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The complexity of the Schistosoma spp. life cycle and their effective immune evasion strategies, makes vaccine development challenging. Unisexual infection models, that excludes any immunomodulatory effects of the parasite eggs, may contribute to a better understanding of complex immunological processes and identification of new targets for vaccine research. We have recently shown that long-term unisexual infection with schistosomes in mice results in an unpolarized Th1/Th2 response associated with an abnormally enlarged spleen and diffuse liver inflammation. Herein, we investigated whether (i) unisexual worms can mate after three months of single sex infection and (ii) thus the Th2 response induced by oviposition can reverse or heal the described systemic inflammatio

SUBMITTER:  

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10009330 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature