COMMENTARY

Helminths

Helminths and harmony

J V Weinstock, R Summers, D E Elliott

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr J V Weinstock
Division of Gastroenterology (4607 JCP), University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242-1009, USA; joel-weinstock@uiowa.edu

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Mounting evidence suggests that helminths help regulate mucosal inflammation

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Keywords: Schistosoma mansoni; inflammatory bowel disease; intestinal motility; irritable bowel syndrome; rat

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The frequency of Crohn’s disease (CD) has increased substantially over the last 50 years. It is most prevalent in highly industrialised temperate regions. CD and ulcerative colitis (UC) are rare in less developed countries. This suggests that critical environmental factors affect the worldwide distribution of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The "IBD hygiene hypothesis" states that raising children in extremely hygienic environments negatively affects immune development which predisposes them to immunological diseases such as IBD.¹ It is also postulated that the modern day lack of exposure to helminths due to our hygienic practices is an important environmental factor contributing to IBD. Until modern times, nearly all children and most adults harboured intestinal helminths. Helminths and the immune system of Homo sapiens co-evolved in close proximity over many 1000s of years. Helminths regulate their host’s immune system and prevent excessive inflammatory responses, which could underlie the mechanism of protection. Moreels and . . . [Full text of this article]

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