At 80 mg/kg diet, a decrease in food consumption and in egg production was seen, the latter being a consequence, possibly, of the former (Pym et al., 1984)
Of note is the observation that one of the several proteases the schistosome gut produces for digestion of RBCs, cathepsin D, is also capable of cleaving IgG and complement component C3, although it is not known if this functions as an immune evasion technique for combatting gut permeabilization or is rather just part of digesting these factors as possible nutrient sources (167)
The stable L-forms of bacteria is defined as a state in which bacteria, even after the removal of the adverse factors that initially induced the L-form transition, remain in a wall-deficient state and cannot revert to their original cell wall structure
Its cytoprotective mechanisms in this context are multifaceted: it bypasses the prostaglandin pathway, maintains endothelial integrity to ensure blood flow to the mucosa, and directly stimulates the cellular processes required for repair
