Cellular immune response and pathology in schistosomiasis

In the present review, some aspects of the cellular response following the murine Schistosoma mansoni infection are described. Due to the peculiar route used by the schistosome to infect its definitive host, the skin appears as a critical site in which the initial events of the host/parasite relationship occur and where the immune response is initiated. Moreover, the induction and the modulation of the granuloma formation, which represent the main aspect of the pathology of this parasitic disease, is under the control of several cellular populations n which CD4 and CD8 T cells play a key role. The cytokines produced in response to the parasite, such as IL7 in the skin and IFN gamma in the liver, seem to influence the further development of immunity against Schistosoma mansoni.