title: Human helminth therapy to treat inflammatory disorders - where do we stand?
abstract: Parasitic helminths have evolved together with the mammalian immune system over many millennia and as such they have become remarkably efficient modulators in order to promote their own survival. Their ability to alter and/or suppress immune responses could be beneficial to the host by helping control excessive inflammatory responses and animal models and pre-clinical trials have all suggested a beneficial effect of helminth infections on inflammatory bowel conditions, MS, asthma and atopy. Thus, helminth therapy has been suggested as a possible treatment method for autoimmune and other inflammatory disorders in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Infection, Faculty of infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK. helena.helmby@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Helmby
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000276:immunology*; D006376:Helminths; D006801:Humans; D061148:Hygiene Hypothesis; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000628:therapy*; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000628:therapy*; D061147:Therapy with Helminths / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth