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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 May 3.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Host Microbe. 2020 Feb 12;27(2):165–168. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.01.013

Figure 1. The Role of Neutrophils in Host Protective Responses to Helminths.

Figure 1.

In a primary infection with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb), the infective third-stage larvae penetrating the skin induce the rapid recruitment of neutrophils, which deploy neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) that are capable of damaging the larvae. The parasites mitigate the effects of the NETs by secreting Nb-deoxyribonuclease (Nb-DNase II) that can degrade the NET DNA backbone. In addition, larvae entering the lungs stimulate the production of IL-17 by local TCRgd T cells which triggers neutrophil recruitment, contributing to lung injury. However, as the type 2 response develops, neutrophils promote the maturation of macrophages into alternatively activated (M2) macrophages that mediate wound repair and can also kill the parasites. During a secondary infection, the neutrophil-trained M2 macrophages and eosinophils primarily surround the larvae, contributing to acquired resistance.