Some molecular aspects in schistosomiasis mansoni and toxoplasmosis.

The IL-2 and IL-4 cytokines production represent cellular Th1 & 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 & <0.001 in stages 1, 2, 3 & 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 & IL-4 in patients with T. gondii were higher compared to control being more marked in IL-2 (P<0.001) versus IL-4 (P< 0.01). The data indicated that there are patterns of cytokine expression characteristic of type 1 & type 2 responses in vivo, with the ultimate goal of being able to manipulate the response to minimize inflammation and fibrosis for clinical benefit.