Attempts to induce resistance in mice to Schistosoma japonicum and Schistosoma mansoni by exposure to crude schistosome antigens plus cloned glutathione-S-transferases.

Several attempts have been made to induce resistance in mice to Schistosoma japonicum (Philippines) or Schistosoma mansoni by exposure to living male and/or female adult worms, their antigens or irradiated cercariae. No resistance was demonstrated in the following cases: re-exposure of mice to cercariae following praziquantel (PZQ) treatment of existing infection; re-exposure of mice following cyclosporin A (CsA) treatment at the time of first cercarial exposure; subcutaneous or intraperitoneal deposition of living male or female worms; repeated intranasal administration of crude worm homogenates plus Bordetella pertussis vaccine (BPV) as adjuvant. Homologous 60Co-irradiated cercariae were very effective at inducing resistance to infection with S. mansoni but not to infection with S. japonicum (Philippines) in a limited series of experiments. A regime of infection, immunization with homologous Escherichia coli-derived glutathione-S-transferases (GST), then PZQ treatment followed by homologous re-exposure did not result in significant resistance in either the S. mansoni or the S. japonicum (Philippines) systems. Mice given irradiated cercariae plus GST were not more resistant to subsequent S. mansoni infection than mice given irradiated cercariae alone. The results generally confirm and extend those reported by others with the conclusion that resistance to schistosomes in mice is difficult to achieve by exposure to adult worm antigens alone. Moreover, additional immunization with the GST available to date as cloned gene products, and injected in Freund's complete adjuvant, does not influence the outcome of exposure to crude worm antigens including any additive effects of protective irradiated cercariae.