Here’s a new twist on the hygiene theory of allergies and asthma: how about infecting patients with parasites to stimulate their immune system?

As awful as that sounds, researchers believe that the absence of these formerly common human hitchhikers, may explain the rising rates of certain illnesses, including asthma and diabetes. These diseases are rising in western countries much faster than can be accounted for by any genetic change, so researchers are looking for the environmental trigger. Scientists believe that the combination of modern medicine and our increasing awareness of proper hygiene mean parasites are no longer a regular part of life in the developed world, which is where asthma rates are skyrocketing.

Scientists at Nottingham University are conducting a trial to see if parasitic infection could actually help asthma sufferers. This study is actually infecting participants with hookworms! The question is whether asthma symptoms will improve as a result.

If results show that parasites in our bodies can provide humans with benefits, the challenge will be to find a drug that will create the same effect on the immune system – without the worms!

This might seem a shocking avenue of research, but it points to the complex relationship between our bodies and our environment. Scientists hypothesize that our bodies may have evolved to include parasites in our immune function, because of our interactions with these creatures over millennia.

For some, it’s not that far off from the medical malpractice of the middle ages, when bleedings by leaches were routinely prescribed by the doctors of the time for all kinds of conditions. In fact, Jan Bradley, an expert in parasite immunology, says that parasitic worms could be routinely prescribed one day.

Bradley is quick to point out that worms are not necessarily a good thing – but that there may be positive benefits we can exploit, while limiting negative consequences.

Source: The Telegraph