RNAseq analysis of peyers patches at 6 and 18 hours in mice infected with Fasciola hepatica metacecariae

Fasciola hepatica is a zoonotic parasite that causes significant economic burden to the agribusiness sector annually. It can infect 1 million people worldwide and to date no commercial vaccine is available. An ideal vaccine would induce protection in the gut, curtailing the extensive tissue damage associated with parasite migration from the gut, through the liver to the bile ducts. The design of such a vaccine requires greater knowledge of gut immunity during the early infection stages. This study revealed that extensive breakdown of gut barrier occurs 6 hours post infection as flukes traversed the gut mucosa with evidence of tissue repair after 18 hours. Total mRNA expression of the peyers patches from mice 6 and 18 hours post infection (and in uninfected mice) was analysed using RNA sequencing.