AUTHOR=Sombetzki Martina , Reinholdt Cindy , Winkelmann Franziska , Rabes Anne , Koslowski Nicole , Reisinger Emil C. 

TITLE=A one-year unisexual Schistosoma mansoni infection causes pathologic organ alterations and persistent non-polarized T cell-mediated inflammation in mice

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1010932

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.1010932

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>In exhibiting gonochorism and phenotypic sexual dimorphism, <italic>Schistosoma</italic> spp. are unique among trematodes. Only females mating with male schistosomes can produce the highly immunogenic parasite eggs which determine the clinical picture of the disease schistosomiasis. The strong immune-modulatory effect of the eggs masks the influence of the adult worms. To shed light on the complexity of the immune response triggered by adult worms of <italic>Schistosoma mansoni</italic>, we performed a long-term unisexual infection experiment in mice. We were able to demonstrate that both male and female schistosomes can survive unpaired for one year in the murine host. Furthermore, unisexual <italic>S. mansoni</italic> infection leads to pronounced inflammation of the liver characterized by a non-polarized Th1/Th2 immune response, regardless of worm sex.</p>