Eicosanoids as immunomodulators of penetration by Schistosome cercariae.

To infect a definitive host, schistosome cercorioe must identify and penetrate intact skin. This involves complex biochemical and morphological changes over a fairly brief time (48 hours), and possibly offers a potential point of intervention against infection. Attempts to define a vaccine against the invading organisms have so far been unsuccessful, but unravelling the complex biochemical interactions of schistosome penetration and transformation seems to suggest possible pharmacological or immunopharmacological interventions against these initial stages of infection.