Phenotype and cytokine profile of Schistosoma mansoni specific T cell lines and clones derived from schistosomiasis patients with distinct clinical forms.

It is essential to distinguish the role of T lymphocytes on the physiopathology associated to more severe forms of schistosomiasis and on the immunomodulation that evolves in the majority of infected people. In this study, we generated Schistosoma mansoni-specific T cell lines and clones from patients with the acute and chronic (intestinal and hepatosplenic forms) phases of disease, from former ones, and from uninfected individuals sensitized to parasite soluble antigens. T cell lines derived from nontreated acute infected donors were capable of producing IL-4 and IL-5, while cells from treated patients secreted IFN-gamma. Lines from intestinal chronic and antigen-sensitized donors preferentially produced IFN-gamma, while those from hepatosplenic patients secreted all three cytokines. The cytokine analysis of CD4+ T cell clones revealed a Th2/Th0 pattern (clones producing IL-4 and IL-5 and clones producing all three cytokines) for those derived from infected patients, while cells from antigen-sensitized donors exhibited an opposite Th1/Th0 pattern (clones producing IFN-gamma and clones producing all three cytokines). The possible role of these T cell populations on human schistosomiasis mansoni is discussed.