title: Helminths in the gastrointestinal tract as modulators of immunity and pathology.
abstract: Helminth parasites are highly prevalent in many low- and middle-income countries, in which inflammatory bowel disease and other immunopathologies are less frequent than in the developed world. Many of the most common helminths establish themselves in the gastrointestinal tract and can exert counter-inflammatory influences on the host immune system. For these reasons, interest has arisen as to how parasites may ameliorate intestinal inflammation and whether these organisms, or products they release, could offer future therapies for immune disorders. In this review, we discuss interactions between helminth parasites and the mucosal immune system, as well as the progress being made toward identifying mechanisms and molecular mediators through which it may be possible to attenuate pathology in the intestinal tract.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.|Edinburgh Clinical Academic Track, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; and.
authors.forename: Fumi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Varyani
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: John O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom; rick.maizels@glasgow.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Rick M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Maizels
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D006376:Helminths / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D061148:Hygiene Hypothesis; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology / Q000628:therapy; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D013559:Symbiosis; D061147:Therapy with Helminths