Some molecular aspects in schistosomiasis mansoni and toxoplasmosis

The IL-2 and IL-4 cytokines production represent cellular Th1 and Th2 immune responses respectively were associated with chronic schistosomiasis mansoni [stages 1-4] and chronic toxoplasmosis gondii. In the hepatosplenic schistosomiasis, the level of IL-2 and disease stage increased in parallel [P< 0.05, <0.01, <0.01 and <0.001 in stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively], whereas, IL- 4 was highly significantly increased in stage 1 than control [P < 0.001], then decreased to lower levels. The mean concentrations of IL-2 and IL-4 in patients with T. gondii were higher compared to control being more marked in Th-2 [P < 0.001] versus IL-4 [P < 0.01]. The data indicated that there are patterns of cytokine expression characteristic of type 1 and type 2 responses in vivo, with the ultimate goal of being able to manipulate the response to minimize inflammation and fibrosis for clinical benefit