Schistosomiasis is a tropical disease affecting over 230 million people worldwide. Although effective drug treatment is available, reinfections are common, and development of immunity is slow. Most... Show moreSchistosomiasis is a tropical disease affecting over 230 million people worldwide. Although effective drug treatment is available, reinfections are common, and development of immunity is slow. Most antibodies raised during schistosome infection are directed against glycans, some of which are thought to be protective. Developing schistosomula are considered most vulnerable to immune attack, and better understanding of local antibody responses raised against glycans expressed by this life stage might reveal possible glycan vaccine candidates for future vaccine research. In this tehsis we adressed the spatial and temporal expression of glycans expressed during the critical larval stages of schistosome development and we studied the (protective) antibody responses against these glycans in animals and infected human populations. Together these studies thereby contribute to an important basis for the understanding of the anti-glycan antibody responses towards Schistosoma in general and towards the vulnerable schistosomulum in particular. Show less
Human schistosomiasis (bilharzia) is one of the major parasitic diseases in the world, affecting 200 million people predominantly in third world countries. In areas where the disease is highly... Show moreHuman schistosomiasis (bilharzia) is one of the major parasitic diseases in the world, affecting 200 million people predominantly in third world countries. In areas where the disease is highly prevalent it causes important health problems, and it also has socially-economic effects on the population. Schistosomiasis is caused by the presence of the blood-fluke Schistosoma in the blood-vessels of mammalian hosts. The current method for diagnosis of schistosomiasis in developing countries is the parasitological examination of urine and faeces for the presence of Schistosoma eggs. An alternative method which is now increasingly used is based on the detection of Schistosoma antigens in the circulatory system or the urine of the host. The gut of the parasite is an important source of these antigens since many gut-associated antigens are excreted into the circulation of the host following digestion of food (e.g. blood cells, proteins) by the parasite. Two major gut–associated antigens which have been thoroughly studied with regard to diagnostic detectability, are the circulating anodic antigen (CAA) and the circulating cathodic antigen (CCA). In this thesis, these two unique antigens are further analysed with respect to their biochemical carbohydrate structure, localization, in vitro and in vivo excretion and detection patterns, and their role in a number of host-parasite immune interactions (granulocytes, complement system). Show less
