Role of recombinant interleukin-12 as an adjuvant on vaccine-induced immunity in murine schistosoma mansoni infection

ABSTRACT

In the present work, the role of recombinant interleukin-12 [rIL-12] as an adjuvant to soluble worm antigen preparation [SWAP] in protection against primary murine S. mansoni infection, using certain immunization protocol, was studied. A highly significant statistical increase in resistance [P <0.001] was observed in the group immunized with SWAP and rIL-12 [group I] and those immunized with SWAP only [group II] when each was compared to the infected control group [group III]. Moreover, resistance to challenge infection was higher in group I [73.6%] than in group II [66.1%]. In comparison to group III, histopathological examination of liver sections of groups I and II showed marked reduction in granuloma sizes with more reduction in group I to the extent that some ova were seen without cellular reaction around them. Liver necrosis and fibrosis were detected only in the infected control group