{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,4]],"date-time":"2025-09-04T14:16:26Z","timestamp":1756995386095,"version":"3.40.5"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,9]],"date-time":"2022-03-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1646784000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"European Research Council of the European Union","award":["FP7-HEALTH-2009-4.3.1-1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FP7-HEALTH-2009-4.3.1-1"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Evidence from recent studies in <jats:italic>Schistosoma mansoni<\/jats:italic>-endemic areas show an age-associated immunity that is positively correlated with IgE titres to <jats:italic>Schistosoma mansoni<\/jats:italic>-specific tegumental allergen-like protein 1 (SmTAL1). The structural homology between SmTAL1 and the <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>haematobium<\/jats:italic>-specific TAL1 (ShTAL1) has been verified, yet it remains unclear whether similar age- and immune-associated trends characterize ShTAL1. This community-based intervention study was conducted to assess whether ShTAL1IgE responses post-treatment with praziquantel (PZQ) might be associated with a reduced risk to re-infection with <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>haematobium<\/jats:italic>.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methodology\/Principal findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study was conducted at Agona Abodom, Central Region, Ghana, and involved 114 participants aged 6 to 55 years. EDTA blood samples were collected at baseline and 7 weeks after PZQ treatment (Follow-up). Baseline and Follow-up titres of specific IgG1, IgG4, and IgE antibodies to the <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>haematobium<\/jats:italic>-specific adult worm antigen (ShAWA), the Sh-specific soluble egg antigen (ShSEA), and the Sh-specific tegumental-allergen-like 1 protein (ShTAL1) in plasma samples were measured using sandwich ELISA. Participants at both time points also provided stool and urine for helminth egg detection by microscopy. Prevalence of <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>haematobium<\/jats:italic> at baseline was 22.80%, and decreased to 3.50% at Follow-up. The egg reduction rate (ERR) was 99.87%. Overall plasma levels of ShTAL1-IgE increased 7 weeks post-PZQ treatment, and with increasing age; whiles <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>haematobium<\/jats:italic> infection prevalence and intensity decreased. For <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>haematobium<\/jats:italic>-infected participants who were egg-negative at Follow-up (N = 23), minimal median levels of ShTAL1-IgE were observed for all age groups prior to treatment, whilst median levels increased considerably among participants aged 12 years and older at Follow-up; and remained minimal among participants aged 11 years or less. In the univariate analysis, being aged 12 years or older implied an increased likelihood for ShTAL1-IgE positivity [12\u201314 years (cOR = 9.64, 95% CI = 2.09\u201344.51; p = 0.004); 15+ years (cOR = 14.26, 95% CI = 3.10\u201365.51; p = 0.001)], and this remained significant after adjusting for confounders [12\u201314 years (aOR = 22.34, 95% CI = 2.77\u2013180.14; p = 0.004); \u226515 years (aOR = 51.82, 95% CI = 6.44\u2013417.17; p &lt; 0.001)]. Conversely, median ShTAL1-IgG4 titres were hardly detectible at Follow-up.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions\/Significance<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>These findings demonstrate that increased IgE levels to ShTAL1 7 weeks after PZQ treatment could be associated with a reduced risk to re-infection, and adds to the large body of evidence suggesting a protective role of the treatment-induced ShTAL1 antigen in schistosomiasis infections. It was also quite clear from this work that apart from being persistently <jats:italic>S<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>haematobium<\/jats:italic>-positive, elevated ShTAL1-IgG4 levels at Follow-up could be indicative of susceptibility to re-infection. These outcomes have important implications in vaccine development, and in shifting the paradigm in mass chemotherapy programmes from a \u2018one-size-fits-all\u2019 approach to more sub-group-\/participant-specific strategies in endemic areas.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0010115","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,9]],"date-time":"2022-03-09T18:40:22Z","timestamp":1646851222000},"page":"e0010115","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Increased ShTAL1 IgE responses post-Praziquantel treatment may be associated with a reduced risk to re-infection in a Ghanaian S. haematobium-endemic community"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7038-8184","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Elias 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