CELLULAR IMMUNE-RESPONSE AND PATHOLOGY IN SCHISTOSOMIASIS

In the present review, some aspects oi the cellular response following the murine Schistosoma mansoni infection are described. Due to the pe culiar route used by the schistosome to infect its definitive host, th e skin appears as a critical site in which the initial events of the h ost/parasite relationship occur and where the immune response is initi ated. Moreover, the induction and the modulation of the granuloma form ation which represent the main aspect of the pathology of this parasit ic disease, is under the control of several cellular populations in wh ich CD4 and CD8 T cells play a key role. The cytokines produced in res ponse to the parasite, such as IL7 in the skin and IFN gamma in the li ver, seem to influence the further development of immunity against Sch istosoma mansoni.