title: CD4+ T-cell counts, CD4+/CD8+ T-cell count ratios, and antibody levels in migrant fishermen infected with Schistosoma japonicum in the Dongting Lake, China.
abstract: In this study, CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells and antibody levels were measured in 94 migrant fishermen infected with Schistosoma japonicum from Dongting Lake, China. Prevalence among these fishermen was high (63.8%), with a mean infection intensity of 61.4 +/- 3.8 epg, and included a high proportion of individuals (39.4%) with substantial parenchymal fibrosis (stages > or = 2/3). The CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio in men (1.34 +/- 0.11) was significantly lower than that of women (1.58 +/- 0.15). CD4(+) T cells and the ratio of CD4(+)/CD8(+) were significantly decreased both in subjects infected with S. japonicum and those with parenchymal fibrosis. However, levels of total IgA, IgM, and anti-schistosome egg antigen IgG correlated positively with infection intensity and pathologic lesion number. These results suggest an imbalance between cell-mediated and humoral immunity in these fishermen, the precise cause of which remains undetermined.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health and Nutrition, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Yuesheng.Li@qimr.edu.au
authors.forename: Yuesheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qinren
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Magda K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: Tie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Balen
authors.forename: Donald P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: McManus
mesh_terms: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005398:Fisheries; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D009017:Morbidity; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D012554:Schistosomiasis japonica / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth