Interleukin-13: A Key Mediator in Resistance to Gastrointestinal-Dwelling Nematode Parasites

Gastrointestinal nematode parasites are one of the most prevalent types of infection worldwide. Evidence from both laboratory and human systems indicates that when resistance is evident immunity is mediated by effector mechanisms controlled by T helper 2 type responses. Moreover, more recent evidence implicates a central role for interleukin 13. We raise the possibility that gut dwelling nematodes may have been an important driving force in the development of Th 2 responses involving IL-13. Moreover, that these parasites have evolved a variety of strategies to avoid destruction and to regulate any potential pathology associated with chronic infection.