Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026
09:58
Using Eggs from Schistosoma mansoni as an In vivo Model of Helminth-induced Lung Inflammation
Published on: June 5, 2012
Cytokine Interaction and Immune Responses during Schistosoma mansoni Infection
L R Brunet1, D W Dunne, E J Pearce
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Parasitology Today (Personal Ed.)
|October 17, 2006
Summary
Schistosoma mansoni infection causes severe disease in some individuals due to the host's inability to manage the immune response to parasite eggs. This immunological conflict, driven by eggs accumulating in the liver, leads to severe, life-threatening schistosomiasis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Parasitology
- Tropical Medicine
Background:
- Schistosomiasis affects millions globally, with a subset experiencing severe, life-threatening outcomes.
- Adult Schistosoma mansoni worms are long-lived and trigger chronic antigen exposure.
- Parasite eggs, not adult worms, are the primary drivers of severe immunopathology in schistosomiasis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the immunological mechanisms underlying severe schistosomiasis.
- To elucidate the role of parasite eggs in host immune dysregulation.
- To correlate experimental and field data on schistosomiasis pathogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Review of experimental studies in mouse models of Schistosoma mansoni infection.
- Analysis of field data from schistosomiasis-endemic regions.
- Examination of host immune responses to chronic parasite antigen exposure.
Main Results:
- Accumulation of Schistosoma mansoni eggs in the liver and their traversal of the intestinal wall.
- Parasite eggs impose complex and conflicting demands on the host immune system.
- Failure to effectively manage this immunological conflict is associated with severe disease manifestations.
Conclusions:
- Severe schistosomiasis arises from a failure in host immune regulation in response to parasite eggs.
- Understanding this immunological conflict is crucial for developing effective schistosomiasis treatments.
- Both experimental and epidemiological data highlight the central role of egg-induced immunopathology.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Malaria
Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
01:22Microbial Interactions: Parasitism
Parasitism is a form of microbial interaction in which parasitic microbes exploit a host organism for nutrients and shelter, often at the host's expense. Unlike mutualistic relationships, where both organisms benefit, parasitism benefits only the parasite and harms the host.Classification of ParasitesMicrobial parasites are broadly classified based on their location relative to the host.Ectoparasites remain on the host’s surface, such as the skin or outer tissues, drawing nutrients...
01:28Amebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...
01:28Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
01:30Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a protozoal disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. The parasite exists in two principal morphological forms during its life cycle. A sandfly acquires intracellular amastigotes from an infected reservoir host, such as a dog. Within the sandfly, these forms differentiate into motile, flagellated promastigotes. During a subsequent blood meal, promastigotes are injected into the human host, where they...