title: Regulatory T cells and parasites.
abstract: Human host encounters a wide array of parasites; however, the crucial aspect is the failure of the host immune system to clear these parasites despite antigen recognition. In the recent past, a new immunological concept has emerged, which provides a framework to better understand several aspects of host susceptibility to parasitic infection. It is widely believed that parasites are able to modulate the magnitude of effector responses by inducing regulatory T cell (Tregs) population and several studies have investigated whether this cell population plays a role in balancing protective immunity and pathogenesis during parasite infection. This review discusses the several mechanism of Treg-mediated immunosuppression in the human host and focuses on the functional role of Tregs and regulatory gene polymorphisms in infectious diseases.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany. velavan@medizin.uni-tuebingen.de
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Velavan
authors.forename: Olusola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ojurongbe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D010271:Parasites / Q000276:immunology; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*