Helminth parasites infect over 2 billion people worldwide resulting in huge global health and economic burden. Helminths typically stimulate Type 2 immune responses and excel at manipulating or suppressing host-immune responses resulting in chronic infections that can last for years to decades. Alongside the importance for the development of helminth treatments and vaccines, studying helminth immunity has unraveled many fundamental aspects of Type 2 immunity and immune regulation with implications for the treatment of autoimmunity and Type 2-mediated diseases, such as allergies. Here we describe the maintenance and use of Litomosoides sigmodontis, a murine model for studying host-parasite interactions, Type 2 immunity, and vaccines to tissue-dwelling filarial nematodes, which in humans cause lymphatic filariasis (e.g., Brugia malayi) and onchocerciasis (Onchocerca volvulus).
Keywords: Filariasis; Helminth; Infection model; Parasite; Type 2 immunity.