Specificity of antibody and cellular immune responses in human schistosomiasis.

Thirty patients infected with Schistosoma mekongi, S. mansoni or S. japonicum had cell-mediated immune responses assessed by lymphocyte transformation in vitro (LT), immediate hypersensitivity responses determined by basophil histamine release in vitro (HR) and IgG antibody responses evaluated in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Species specificity was evaluated with antigens obtained from adult worms or eggs of the three schistosome species. Though cross-reactivity was present in all tests, homologous antigens elicited responses significantly greater than those to heterologous antigens in all comparisons of parasite specific IgG and IgE antibody in these groups of patients. A similar generalization could be made for the lymphocyte responses to the same antigen preparations, but statistically significant differences were achieved only in certain comparisons.