The study of human cellular immune responses to parasite infection under field conditions is very complex. Often, the only practical site from which to sample the cellular responses is the peripheral blood. Sampling peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) relies on the assumption that these peripheral responses accurately reflect the immune responses acting locally at the site of infection. This is ...

BACKGROUND Mouse angiogenin 4 (Ang4) has previously been described as a Paneth cell-derived antimicrobial peptide important in epithelial host defence in the small intestine. However, a source for Ang4 in the large intestine, which is devoid of Paneth cells, has not been defined. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Analysis was performed on Ang4 expression in colonic tissue by qPCR and immunohisto...

Mice in which either the IL-4 or the IL-13 gene has been disrupted (IL-4 KO and IL-13 KO) were susceptible to infection with the intestinal nematode Trichuris muris, whereas their wild-type littermates were highly resistant and expelled the parasite. IL-4 KO mice showed diminished Th2-type responses with T. muris infection and also failed to produce parasite-specific IgG1 Abs. Although IL-13 KO...

BACKGROUND In the intestine, the integrin CD103 is expressed on a subset of T regulatory (T(reg)) cells and a population of dendritic cells (DCs) that produce retinoic acid and promote immune homeostasis. However, the role of CD103 during intestinal helminth infection has not been tested. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We demonstrate that CD103 is dispensable for the development of protective...

Mixed-parasite infections are common in many parts of the world, but little is known of the effects of concomitant parasite infections on the immune response or on disease progression. We have investigated the in vivo effects of a chronic gastrointestinal nematode infection on the infectivity and development of the immune response against the common trematode helminth Schistosoma mansoni. The d...

The intestinal mucosal barrier, part of the innate immune defence, is responsive to the external environment and changes in response to infection. There is disparate evidence for the epithelial and goblet cell products within the intrinsic barrier being part of a response to resolve infection. We comprehensively analysed the changes of mucosal glycoconjugates during acute and chronic infection ...

Trichuris muris infection is an ideal model for defining T-cell-driven immunity, and also provides essential insights that may impact on potential helminth therapies currently in development. Conflicting host variables determine the efficiency of such treatments and we have identified host-derived sex steroid hormones as key factors in the development of immunity. The female-associated hormone ...