The immunobiology of schistosomiasis

Schistosomes are parasitic worms that are a prime example of a complex multicellular pathogen that flourishes in the human host despite the development of a pronounced immune response. Understanding how the immune system deals with such pathogens is a daunting challenge. The past decade has seen the use of a wide range of new approaches to determine the nature and function of the immune response to schistosomes. Here, we attempt to summarize advances in our understanding of the immunology of schistosomiasis, with the bulk of the review reflecting the experimental focus on Schistosoma mansoni infection in mice.