Tummy Problems? Eat Worms

Posting Date: 12/13/2004

The authors say that helminths commonly found in people, such as tapeworms, have the potential to cause disease, but pig helminths have a short life cycle, which minimises the risk of colonisation. And once the eggs hatch, the worms stay in the bowel and do not invade the rest of the body.

Eggs are shed in the stool, but can't colonise another host until they have been incubated in the soil for several week, so are unlikely to pose a public health risk.

Crohn's disease is caused by an excessive immune response to normal gut bacteria, and helminths suppress the immune response and consequently dampen down inflammation.

The authors conclude that helminths could be a simple alternative to current treatment for Crohn's disease, or could be used in combination with other medication. They caution that their findings are based on a small number of people, but suggest that the results merit further investigation.

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