STUDIES ON THE IMMUNOLOGICAL ROLE OF HAEMOCYTES IN HOST PARASITE RELATIONSHIPS DURING SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI INFECTION, IN EGYPT

Abstract

Schistosomiasis is still an important public health problem in developing countries, it posses not only a health problem but economic crisis as well. Fresh water snails are the intermediate hosts that transmit the human schistosomiasis. The intestinal schistosomiasis is caused by S. mansoni which is transmitted by the snail's intermediate hosts' B. alexandrina in Egypt, therefore, interactions between B. alexandrina snails and schistosomes have received much attention. Defense system of freshwater snails mainly depends on haemocytes, which are the circulating cells involved in mediating internal defense and immune functions. The objective of the present study is to characterize haemocyte subsets of B. alexandrina snails in order to detect their immunological role during schistosomal infection in Egypt.