title: Parasitic infection as a potential therapeutic tool against rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Parasites, which are a recently discovered yet ancient dweller in human hosts, remain a great public health burden in underdeveloped countries, despite preventative efforts. Rheumatoid arthritis is a predominantly cosmopolitan health problem with drastic morbidity rates, although encouraging progress has been achieved regarding treatment. However, although various types of methods and agents have been applied clinically, their broad usage has been limited by their adverse effects and/or high costs. Sustained efforts have been exerted on the 'hygiene hypothesis' since the 1870s. The immunosuppressive nature of parasitic infections may offer potential insight into therapeutic strategies for rheumatoid arthritis, in which the immune system is overactivated. An increasing number of published papers are focusing on the preventive and/or curative effect of various parasitic infection on rheumatoid arthritis from experimental studies to large-scale epidemiological studies and clinical trials. Therefore, the present review aimed to provide a general literature review on the possible beneficial role of parasitic infection on rheumatoid arthritis.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Major Diseases Research and Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Echinococcosis, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China; Department of Liver and Laparoscopic Surgery, Digestive and Vascular Centre, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Shadike
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Apaer
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Major Diseases Research and Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Echinococcosis, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China; Department of Liver and Laparoscopic Surgery, Digestive and Vascular Centre, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Tuerhongjiang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tuxun
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Major Diseases Research and Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Echinococcosis, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hai-Zhang
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Major Diseases Research and Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Echinococcosis, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasonography, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Amina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aierken
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Major Diseases Research and Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Echinococcosis, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Abudusalamu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aini
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Major Diseases Research and Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Echinococcosis, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yu-Peng
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Major Diseases Research and Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Echinococcosis, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ren-Yong
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Major Diseases Research and Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Echinococcosis, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China; Department of Liver and Laparoscopic Surgery, Digestive and Vascular Centre, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830054, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wen
keywords: immune response; parasite; rheumatoid arthritis