Human serum activates the tegument of female schistosomes and supports recovery from Praziquantel.

Schistosomiasis is one of the most devastating parasitic disease in the world. Schistosoma spp. survive for decades within the vasculature of their human hosts.

Preventive CTLA-4-Ig Treatment Reduces Hepatic Egg Load and Hepatic Fibrosis in -Infected Mice.

Background: Hepatic fibrosis and granuloma formation as a consequence of tissue entrapped eggs produced by female schistosomes characterize the pathology of infection. We have previously shown that single-sex infection with female schistosomes mitigates hepatic fibrosis after secondary infection. This was associated with an increased expression of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4 (CTLA-4), known as a negative regulator of T cell activation.