Schistosoma mansoni Infection Is Associated With Increased Monocytes and Fewer Natural Killer T Cells in the Female Genital Tract

Abstract

Schistosoma mansoni infection may impair genital mucosal antiviral immunity, but immune cell populations have not been well characterized. We characterized mononuclear cells from cervical brushings of women with and without S mansoni infection. We observed lower frequencies of natural killer T cells and higher frequencies of CD14+ monocytes in infected women.