T cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposure

Abstract In Schistosoma-endemic regions a lack of natural sterilizing immunity means individuals are repeatedly infected, treated and reinfected. Due to difficulties in tracking natural infection, kinetics of host immune response during these reinfections have not been elucidated. Here, we use repea...

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Main Authors: Emmanuella Driciru, Jan Pieter R. Koopman, Sanne Steenbergen, Friederike Sonnet, Koen A. Stam, Laura de Bes-Roeleveld, Eva Iliopoulou, Jacqueline J. Janse, Jeroen Sijtsma, Irene Nambuya, Stan T. Hilt, Marion König, Yvonne Kruize, Miriam Casacuberta-Partal, Moses Egesa, Govert J. van Dam, Paul L. A. M. Corstjens, Lisette van Lieshout, Harriet Mpairwe, Andrew S. MacDonald, Maria Yazdanbakhsh, Alison M. Elliott, Meta Roestenberg, Emma L. Houlder
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62144-8
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author Emmanuella Driciru
Jan Pieter R. Koopman
Sanne Steenbergen
Friederike Sonnet
Koen A. Stam
Laura de Bes-Roeleveld
Eva Iliopoulou
Jacqueline J. Janse
Jeroen Sijtsma
Irene Nambuya
Stan T. Hilt
Marion König
Yvonne Kruize
Miriam Casacuberta-Partal
Moses Egesa
Govert J. van Dam
Paul L. A. M. Corstjens
Lisette van Lieshout
Harriet Mpairwe
Andrew S. MacDonald
Maria Yazdanbakhsh
Alison M. Elliott
Meta Roestenberg
Emma L. Houlder
author_facet Emmanuella Driciru
Jan Pieter R. Koopman
Sanne Steenbergen
Friederike Sonnet
Koen A. Stam
Laura de Bes-Roeleveld
Eva Iliopoulou
Jacqueline J. Janse
Jeroen Sijtsma
Irene Nambuya
Stan T. Hilt
Marion König
Yvonne Kruize
Miriam Casacuberta-Partal
Moses Egesa
Govert J. van Dam
Paul L. A. M. Corstjens
Lisette van Lieshout
Harriet Mpairwe
Andrew S. MacDonald
Maria Yazdanbakhsh
Alison M. Elliott
Meta Roestenberg
Emma L. Houlder
author_sort Emmanuella Driciru
collection DOAJ
description Abstract In Schistosoma-endemic regions a lack of natural sterilizing immunity means individuals are repeatedly infected, treated and reinfected. Due to difficulties in tracking natural infection, kinetics of host immune response during these reinfections have not been elucidated. Here, we use repeated (3x) controlled-human-Schistosoma mansoni infection (CHI) to study how antigen-specific T cells develop during reinfection (NCT05085470 study). We compared these responses to naturally infected endemic Ugandan individuals (HALLMARK study). A mixed Th1/Th2/regulatory CD4+ T cell response develops in repeated CHI. Adult-worm-specific responses after repeated CHI were similar to endemic-natural infection. However, endemic participants showed differential responses to egg- and cercariae-antigens. Repeated CHI with sequential exposure to cercariae of different sexes (male-female-male) revealed an elevated CD4+ T cell cytokine response to adult-worm and egg-antigens. Our findings demonstrate that single-sex schistosome infection elicits adult-worm-specific T cell cytokine responses that reflect endemic-natural infection. This study advances our understanding of the immunology of schistosome (re)infection in the human host.
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spelling doaj-art-034de498e75f4e7fa84a47d912eb3e0e2025-08-20T04:03:03ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-0116111110.1038/s41467-025-62144-8T cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposureEmmanuella Driciru0Jan Pieter R. Koopman1Sanne Steenbergen2Friederike Sonnet3Koen A. Stam4Laura de Bes-Roeleveld5Eva Iliopoulou6Jacqueline J. Janse7Jeroen Sijtsma8Irene Nambuya9Stan T. Hilt10Marion König11Yvonne Kruize12Miriam Casacuberta-Partal13Moses Egesa14Govert J. van Dam15Paul L. A. M. Corstjens16Lisette van Lieshout17Harriet Mpairwe18Andrew S. MacDonald19Maria Yazdanbakhsh20Alison M. Elliott21Meta Roestenberg22Emma L. Houlder23Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of ManchesterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterSchistosomiasis Focus Area, Vaccine Research Theme, Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research UnitLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterDepartment of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterSchistosomiasis Focus Area, Vaccine Research Theme, Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research UnitLydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of ManchesterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterSchistosomiasis Focus Area, Vaccine Research Theme, Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research UnitLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden University Center for Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical CenterAbstract In Schistosoma-endemic regions a lack of natural sterilizing immunity means individuals are repeatedly infected, treated and reinfected. Due to difficulties in tracking natural infection, kinetics of host immune response during these reinfections have not been elucidated. Here, we use repeated (3x) controlled-human-Schistosoma mansoni infection (CHI) to study how antigen-specific T cells develop during reinfection (NCT05085470 study). We compared these responses to naturally infected endemic Ugandan individuals (HALLMARK study). A mixed Th1/Th2/regulatory CD4+ T cell response develops in repeated CHI. Adult-worm-specific responses after repeated CHI were similar to endemic-natural infection. However, endemic participants showed differential responses to egg- and cercariae-antigens. Repeated CHI with sequential exposure to cercariae of different sexes (male-female-male) revealed an elevated CD4+ T cell cytokine response to adult-worm and egg-antigens. Our findings demonstrate that single-sex schistosome infection elicits adult-worm-specific T cell cytokine responses that reflect endemic-natural infection. This study advances our understanding of the immunology of schistosome (re)infection in the human host.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62144-8
spellingShingle Emmanuella Driciru
Jan Pieter R. Koopman
Sanne Steenbergen
Friederike Sonnet
Koen A. Stam
Laura de Bes-Roeleveld
Eva Iliopoulou
Jacqueline J. Janse
Jeroen Sijtsma
Irene Nambuya
Stan T. Hilt
Marion König
Yvonne Kruize
Miriam Casacuberta-Partal
Moses Egesa
Govert J. van Dam
Paul L. A. M. Corstjens
Lisette van Lieshout
Harriet Mpairwe
Andrew S. MacDonald
Maria Yazdanbakhsh
Alison M. Elliott
Meta Roestenberg
Emma L. Houlder
T cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposure
Nature Communications
title T cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposure
title_full T cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposure
title_fullStr T cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposure
title_full_unstemmed T cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposure
title_short T cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposure
title_sort t cell responses in repeated controlled human schistosome infection compared to natural exposure
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62144-8
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