title: Schistosome-induced pathology is exacerbated and Th2 polarization is enhanced during pregnancy.
abstract: THE AIM of this study was to investigate the immunopathological impact of pregnancy on an ongoing experimental schistosomiasis infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups (A, B and C) of 15 animals each. The mice in Groups A and B were infected with 40 S. mansoni cercariae, percutaneously. Six weeks post-infection, the mice in Groups B and C (schistosome-naive controls) were mated. Schistosome-induced morbidity and cytokine recall responses were subsequently evaluated at weeks 7 and 8 post-infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hepatic and pulmonary lesions resulting from trapped schistosome eggs were more frequent and more severe in Group B mice than in Group A mice. Group C mice had suppressed mitogen-stimulated interleukin 4 (IL-4) but maintained high intereferon gamma (IFN-gamma) responses. In contrast, Group A mice had elevated mitogen- and parasite-specific IL-4 but muted IFN-gamma responses. Group B mice had an early (week 7) high IL-4 response, even higher than in group A mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together the data suggest that pregnancy exacerbates schistosome-induced morbidity, probably through up-regulation of parasite-specific IL-4.
authors: Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors: Idle O
authors: IO
authors: Farah
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Langoi
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Nyaundi
authors: Jann
authors: J
authors: Hau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009017:Morbidity; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma