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Human Whipworms (trichuris trichiura) help Ulcerative Colitis

December 1, 2010 in helminth immunology, helminth therapy, hygiene hypothesis, news, old friends' hypothesis, studies, whipworm by admin | 28 comments

Many articles came out today about the case study of a man with ulcerative colitis who used human whipworms  (trichuris trichiura) as therapy for UC, with colonoscopy samples to supply information on inflammatory pathways and mucus secretion in relation to these helminths:

http://www.livescience.com/health/worm-therapy-stimulates-gut-mucus-101201.html

http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/la-heb-worm-healing-20101201,0,2645483.story

http://discussions.latimes.com/20/lanews/la-heb-worm-healing-20101201/10

From Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=helminthic-therapy-mucus

For the Good of the Gut: Can Parasitic Worms Treat Autoimmune Diseases?

Helminths could suppress immune disorders by promoting healthy mucus production in the intestine

By Ferris Jabr December 1, 2010

human-whipworm-eggs PROPITIOUS PARASITE: Human whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) eggs from a patient who deliberately infected himself with parasitic worms to treat his ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. The worms may have sent his sent his disease into remission. Image: Kimberley Evason, UCSF Read the rest of this entry »

News page and parasite film

February 13, 2010 in news by admin | No comments

I added a “news” page that lists all the available press on helminthic therapy.  I’ll do another page on the research when I have time.

There’s a new film about to be released on using parasites as therapy by Sharon Shattuck called “Parasites: A User’s Guide”. Click on helminthic therapy and scroll down for a full list of research papers on using worms for various autoimmune diseases.  It looks like it will be entertaining, and she’s hoping for help with locations to screen her film, if you’ve got connections to your local movie theaters.  You can contact her through her website.

To the Medical Community

September 29, 2009 in helminth immunology, helminth therapy, hygiene hypothesis, news, old friends' hypothesis, studies, trials by admin | 5 comments

Article after article extolling the virtues of helminths’ ability to prevent allergies and autoimmune diseases always end in quotes like this:

“The hope is that the work could aid the development of new treatments which work in the same way as gut parasites, by dampening down or rebalancing the immune system so that the body does not respond to allergens and trigger asthma attacks.”

“Here, the view is presented that assessment of the immunophysiological response to helminths could identify that infection with specific parasites would be therapeutically useful (although many helminths could not fulfil this role) and lead to precise knowledge of the immune events following infection, to identify ways to intervene in disease processes (in the absence of infection per se) that can be used to treat, and eventually cure, inflammatory and autoimmune disease.” Read the rest of this entry »

Huge Study Proves Helminths Prevent Allergy to Dust-Mites

September 28, 2009 in hygiene hypothesis, news by admin | No comments

A new article from BBC News about the link beteen (lack of) parasites and allergy to dust mites. This is a very large study;1500+ schoolchildren in Vietnam. They gave 1/2 deworming tablets, and studied them for some period of time. Those without worms had a significantly increased allergy to dust mites. There wasn’t any conslusive relationship with asthma or eczema. (Just give them time…) “The researchers said this strongly suggests that gut worms have the potential to tone down human immune responses.”

Hookworm (A face only a mother could love.)

“Parasitic gut worms, such as hookworm, might aid the development of new treatments for asthma and other allergies, a study in Vietnam suggests.

Infection with hookworm and other parasitic worms is endemic in Vietnam, but rates of asthma and other allergies are low.

British and Vietnamese scientists gave local children treatment to clear their body of worms.

They found this led to an increase in dust mite allergy among the children.”

This news report goes into greater detail:

“Dr Flohr has examined the links between worms and allergic diseases in Vietnamese children and found that those with the highest level of hookworm infestation were the least likely to have an allergic response to house dust mites.

These findings support the hypothesis that gastrointestinal infection with either hookworms or other micro-organisms protects against allergy and add further weight to the so-called ‘hygiene hypothesis’.”

Interesting that the highest level of hookworm infection had the greatest benefit. Clearly, dose matters.

I think I need more worms.

Great RadioLab show on Parasites

September 14, 2009 in hygiene hypothesis, news, old friends' hypothesis by admin | 2 comments

Very entertaining radio show on parasites:

http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2009/09/07/parasites/

Schistosome_ParasiteAnd no, this isn’t an alien…

First, they start with Carl Zimmer, a parasitologist who talks about amazing interactions between parasites and hosts.  Then they discuss the hookworm eradication project, where it was found that the South was suffering from anemia, not laziness, and outhouses changed the course of history.  Then, an interview with Jasper Lawrence and his forays into Africa and how he started AIT (why do they never talk about how he got Necator Americanus?) And finally, a pice about toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that comes from cat feces that might influence  human behavior.  We are not all that we think we are.  We are being controlled by our bacteria and parasites as we speak.  Mhwah-ha-ha!

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