ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 03 December 2019 doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02827 Frontiers in Immunology | www.frontiersin.org 1 December 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 2827 Edited by: Thiago Almeida Pereira, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University, United States Reviewed by: Fausto Edmundo Lima Pereira, Universidade Vila Velha, Brazil Deborah Negrão-Corrêa, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil *Correspondence: Justin Komguep Nono Justin.NonoKomguep@uct.ac.za Specialty section: This article was submitted to Microbial Immunology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Immunology Received: 14 August 2019 Accepted: 18 November 2019 Published: 03 December 2019 Citation: Kamdem SD, Konhawa F, Kuemkon EM, Meyo Kamguia L, Tchanana GK, Nche F, Oumarou A, Hamza M, Ouratou Y, Tcheutchoua MN, Ghislain Essomba R, Ngogang MP, Kengne M, Netongo PM, Ondigui BE, Okomo Assoumou MC, Brombacher F and Nono JK (2019) Negative Association of Interleukin-33 Plasma Levels and Schistosomiasis Infection in a Site of Polyparasitism in Rural Cameroon. Front. Immunol. 10:2827. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02827 Negative Association of Interleukin-33 Plasma Levels and Schistosomiasis Infection in a Site of Polyparasitism in Rural Cameroon Severin Donald Kamdem 1,2,3 , Francis Konhawa 4 , Erve Martial Kuemkon 4 , Leonel Meyo Kamguia 4 , Gladys K. Tchanana 4,5 , Frungwa Nche 6 , Alim Oumarou 7 , Mamadou Hamza 7 , Yasmine Ouratou 8 , Mariette Nzoku Tcheutchoua 8 , René Ghislain Essomba 4,9 , Marie Paule Ngogang 10 , Michel Kengne 4 , Palmer Masumbe Netongo 8,11 , Bienvenu Etogo Ondigui 9 , Marie Claire Okomo Assoumou 9 , Frank Brombacher 1,2,3,12 and Justin Komguep Nono 1,2,3,13 * 1 Division of Immunology, Health Science Faculty, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, 2 Cape Town Component, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Cape Town, South Africa, 3 Immunology of Infectious Diseases Unit, South African Medical Research Centre, Cape Town, South Africa, 4 School of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 5 CIAB EXACT Medical Laboratory, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 6 Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 7 Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 8 Biotechnology Centre, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 9 National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 10 LABOREB, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 11 Department of Biochemistry, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 12 Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine (IDM), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, 13 The Medical Research Centre, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plant Studies, Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Yaoundé, Cameroon Background: This study aimed to investigate the association of plasma levels of IL-33, a mucosal alarmin known to elicit type-2 immunity, with infection and liver fibrosis profiles of school children from an endemic area for Schistosoma mansoni, malaria and hepatitis (B & C) in rural Cameroon. Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolling schoolchildren from 5 public schools was conducted. Single schistosomiasis, malaria and hepatitis infections or co-infections were assessed by kato katz, microscopy, and rapid diagnostic tests, respectively. Hepatic fibrosis was assessed by ultrasound according to WHO Niamey guidelines and plasma levels of Interleukin 33 were determined by ELISA. All statistics were performed using R studio software. Principal findings: We found a prevalence of 13.5% (37/275), 18.2% (50/275), and 8% (22/275), respectively for schistosomiasis, malaria and hepatitis (B or C) single infections. Only 7.6% (21/275) of co-infections were reported. Although Plasma IL-33 showed a minimal negative risk for schistosomiasis infection (AOR 0.99; 95% CI 0.97–1.01), S. mansoni infected participants had lower levels of plasma IL-33 (p = 0.003) which decreased significantly as eggs burdens increased (p = 0.01) with a negative Pearson coefficient of r =−0.22. Hepatic fibrosis occurred in 47.3% (130/275) of our study population independently from plasma levels of IL-33 (AOR 1.00; 95% CI 0.99–1.01).