The research in my laboratory is focused on the host response to parasitic infections with a major emphasis on the cellular immunology of filariasis and cryptosporidiosis. Field-based studies of lymphatic filariasis in Haiti are prospective and interdisciplinary with two major immunological objectives.
Tolerance is thought to play an important role in the persistence of chronic parasitic infections.
We are interested in understanding the effect of in utero exposure to filarial antigens on the evolution of parasite specific responses and on susceptibility to filarial infection. We are also investigating the relationship between T cell responsiveness to filarial antigens, protective immunity, and the development of elephantiasis and other forms of obstructive disease of the lymphatics. Studies of cryptosporidiosis are aimed at characterizing the functional role of epithelial lymphocytes within the gastrointestinal tract as well as the antigens recognized by these lymphocytes. Enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot analysis of a cryptosporidiosis outbreak on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter. Hitch, W.L., M.L. Eberhard and P.J. Lammie.