Schistosoma mansoni infection cancels the susceptibility to Plasmodium chabaudi through induction of type 1 immune responses in A/J mice

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Abstract
Susceptibility to Plasmodium chabaudi depends on the relative dominance of Th1/Th2 responses in host mice. A Th2-dominant response during the early phase of infection in susceptible A/J mice causes a fatal disease course due to severe malaria. Schistosoma mansoni is a potent inducer of a Th2-dominant response not only to the parasite antigens, but also to other antigens concurrently existing in the host animals. In spite of S. mansoni infection, these A/J mice escape death from malaria and showed accompanied enhanced production of IFN-γ to malaria antigens. Treatment with anti-IFN-γ mAb in S. mansoni-infected A/J mice abolished the resistance to malaria, indicating that IFN-γ was responsible for the resistance to P. chabaudi in S. mansoni-infected A/J mice. Results in this study show that under certain circumstances, S. mansoni infection can promote type 1 immune responses in A/J mice that normally develop Th2 responses.