Immune regulation in schistosomiasis japonica.

In schistosomiasis caused by the blood fluke, Schistosoma japonicum, the major lesion responsible for clinical disease is the granuloma formed in the liver as an immune response to the eggs deposited there. In this review Abram Stavitsky discusses the most recent evidence for the mechanisms involved in the formation and spontaneous regression of the granulomas and presents a working hypothesis to guide future research.