How Echinococcus granulosus deals with complement

Here, Ana Maria Ferreira and colleagues discuss the inter play between the larval stages of Echinococcus granulosus and an important effector arm of i mmunity: the host complement system. During early infection, the parasite a ctivates complement, and hence complement-dependent inflammatory responses. However, on differentiation into the hydatid cyst, the parasite exposes to the host a structure - the cyst wall - that does not activate complement s trongly. Mechanisms inhibiting complement activation on the cyst wall have been elucidated, contributing to the understanding of how this large, persi stent, tissue-dwelling pathogen controls the inflammatory response.