ADVANCES IN SCHISTOSOMIASIS RESEARCH

This review reports on recent developments in the areas of diagnosis, chemotherapy and pathology, where female genital schistosomiasis was r ecently identified as a common cause of morbidity in Schistosoma haema tobium-endemic areas. As a profound understanding of processes underly ing resistance and susceptibility to infection as well as pathology is central to schistosomiasis control, detailed immunological studies of immunity and granuloma formation dominate the discussion. Studies on host genetics, on T-helper cell type 1 or 2 cytokines as well as on ce ll types influencing immunity and granuloma formation have provided pr ecise information that could be of relevance not only to helminth but also to microbial infections involving granulomatous reactions. Curr O pin Infect Dis 11:541-546. (C) 1998 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.