Vaccination with ultraviolet-attenuated cercariae of Schistosoma japonicum induced protective immunity against challenge infection in experimental animal models. Our preliminary study on the transcription levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 in splenic CD4+ T cells revealed that attenuated cercariae elicited predominantly a Thl response in mice at the early stage, whereas normal cercariae stimulated primarily Th2dependent responses. Further analysis on the gene profile of the skin-draining lymph nodes demonstrated that the levels of IFN-γ were significantly higher in vaccinated mice than those in infected mice at day 4, 7 and 14 post-vaccination or post-infection. However, for IL-12 and IL-4, the potent inducers of Th l and Th2 responses, respectively, as well as IL-10, there were no differences over the course of the experiment between the infected and vaccinated mice. To explore the underlying factors that may potentially contribute to elevated IFN-γ in vaccinated mice, the mRNA profiles of the skin-draining lymph nodes at day 4 postexposure were compared using oligonucleotide microarrays. Within the 847 probe sets with increased signal values, we focused on chemokines, cytokines and relevant receptors, which were validated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. A comprehensive understanding of the immune mechanisms of attenuated cercariae-induced protection may contribute to developing efficient vaccination strategies against S. japonicum, especially during the early stage of infection.