T regulatory cell responses to immunization with a soluble egg antigen in Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice.

The aim of the study is to characterize the phenotypes of CD4(+) CD25(+) T regulatory cells within the liver granulomas and association with both Foxp-3 gene expression and splenic cytokines. Naïve C57BL/6 mice were intravenously injected with multiple doses of the soluble egg antigen (SEA) 7 days before cercarial infection. The immunized and infected control groups were sacrificed 8 and 16 weeks post-infection (PI).