Distribution of Foxp3 + T cells in the liver and hepatic lymph nodes of goats and sheep experimentally infected with Fasciola hepatica.

•The involvement of Foxp3+ Tregs in acute and chronic hepatic lesions in small ruminants is studied for the first time.•The rapid expansion of Foxp3+ Tregs in the acute phase of the infection seems to be related to the larval migration in the hepatic parenchyma.•In the chronic hepatic lesions, Foxp3+ Tregs increase was more pronounced in the large bile ducts in which adult parasites are located.•The expansion of Foxp3+ Tregs in acute and chronic hepatic lesions in sheep and goats may be involved in parasite survival as well as in minimising tissue pathology.