BIO053 New approaches to therapeutic interventions on murine experimental schistosomiasis

Abstract

Schistosoma mansoni infection triggers schistosomiasis, a serious public health problem especially in developing countries. In an infected person, after worms maturation, the deposited eggs enter the bloodstream and are trapped in the microvasculature of the liver, inducing the granulomatous response: a pathological element of chronic schistosomiasis. Also, the adult worms may clog the blood system, which induces circulatory congestion characteristic of the disease. One way of adult worms escape the immune system is related to the structure of the outer membrane of the parasite, which is comprised of host molecules, which mask antigenic epitopoes present in the inner layer of the parasite. The chemotherapy with Praziquantel (PZQ), used to control the disease, induces disruption of the parasite outer membrane, exposing the antigenic molecules. Furthermore, studies suggest that leukotrienes are potent pro-inflammatory agents, protecting against various infectious agents.