SELECTIVE EFFECTOR MECHANISMS FOR THE EXPULSION OF INTESTINAL HELMINTHS

In the middle of the era of molecular biology, much less attention is paid to in vivo phenomena. However, carefully designed experimental sy stems in vivo still can provide valuable information as to the mechani sms underlying the establishment and maintenance of host-parasite rela tionships. In this review we describe the advantage of using concurren t infections with appropriately chosen combinations of different gener a or different maturation stages of parasites to segregate the cellula r responses of the host. By means of simple experimental approaches,li e have found that mucosal mast cells and goblet cells, both of which h ave long been considered as non-specific effectors, are in fact highly selective and specific effector cells of the host defence mechanisms capable of acting on the establishment and the expulsion of intestinal helminths.