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Immunology of human schistosomiasis: off the beaten path
Author(s) -
SECOR W. E.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
parasite immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1365-3024
pISSN - 0141-9838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3024.2005.00778.x
Subject(s) - schistosomiasis , immunology , immune system , biology , disease , schistosoma , medicine , schistosoma mansoni , helminths , pathology
SUMMARY Reviews of the immunology of human schistosomiasis generally address the host's protective responses against infection or the factors associated with development of severe pathology. However, there is a growing recognition that the high number of patients expressing moderate morbidity, rather than the few patients with severe morbidity, accounts for the greatest public health impact of schistosomiasis. Therefore, other aspects of the host immune response that have received relatively little attention may actually provide pivotal answers in our understanding and management of the morbidity associated with human schistosomiasis. This review highlights lines of investigation that focus on how immune responses to schistosomiasis may affect schistosomiasis‐associated anaemia, alter susceptibility or disease progression during co‐infections, and influence effective execution of mass treatment programmes.