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Parasite Versus Host: Pathology and Disease
Published in Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin, Parasitology, 2023
Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin
The apparent link between infection with certain parasites and a reduction in the severity of certain medical conditions has given rise to what seems oxymoronic—helminth therapy: the deliberate infection of patients with specific intestinal nematodes to alleviate symptoms of certain clinical conditions. To date, most research and treatment has focused on the hookworm Necator americanus and especially on the pig whipworm, Trichuris suis (Figure 5.26). Although the logic of helminth therapy may make sense, clinical trials have provided mixed results. In some cases, individuals have clearly benefited, seeing reducing symptomology for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, eczema and hay fever. And although there is a general trend in these trials toward some patient improvement, the data supporting the deliberate infection of individuals to treat medical conditions has not been overly compelling.
Trichuris
Published in Dongyou Liu, Handbook of Foodborne Diseases, 2018
Cristina Cutillas, Rocío Callejón
Different species of whipworms are cited to parasitize humans: T. trichiura (human whipworm), Trichuris suis Schrank, 1788 (pig whipworm), and Trichuris vulpis Froelich, 1789 (dog whipworm). T. trichiura has been considered for many years as the whipworm species of primates (human and nonhuman). The hypothesized existence of more species of Trichuris in primates opens the possibility to revise the zoonotic potential and host specificity of T. trichiura and other putative new species of whipworms.17 Based on complete mitochondrial genome analyses, different authors suggested the existence of a Trichuris species complex in primates and pigs.14 Furthermore, other authors18 found no differentiation between human-derived Trichuris in Uganda and the majority of the Trichuris samples from nonhuman primates, suggesting a common African origin of the parasite, which then was transmitted to Asia and further to South America. There was no differentiation between pig-derived Trichuris from Europe and the New World, suggesting dispersal relates to human activities by transporting pigs and their parasites through colonization and trade. Evidence for such dispersal was obtained recently with pig transportation from China to Ecuador and from Europe to Uganda. In contrast, there was high genetic differentiation between the pig Trichuris in Denmark and China in concordance with the host genetics.
Parasite Versus Host: Pathology and Disease
Published in Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin, Parasitology, 2015
Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin
The apparent link between infection with certain parasites and a reduction in the severity of certain medical conditions has given rise to what seems oxymoronic: helminth therapy. This is the deliberate infection of patients with specific intestinal nematodes to alleviate symptoms of certain clinical conditions. To date, most research and treatment has focused on the hookworm Necator americanus and especially on the pig whipworm, Trichuris suis (Figure 5.20). Both of these species have shown promise in the treatment of a wide range of autoimmune and allergic conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, asthma, eczema, and hay fever. In fact, although not exactly commonplace and although perhaps not for the squeamish, the use of T suis to combat inflammatory bowel disorders is now viewed by some as an acceptable treatment option.
Randomized crossover feasibility trial of helminthic Trichuris suis ova versus placebo for repetitive behaviors in adult autism spectrum disorder
Published in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 2020
Eric Hollander, Genoveva Uzunova, Bonnie P. Taylor, Rachel Noone, Emma Racine, Ellen Doernberg, Katherine Freeman, Casara Jean Ferretti
The study of helminth worms, such as Trichuris suis ova (TSO), for the treatment of autoimmune disorders emerged from the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ (Jouvin and Kinet 2012). This hypothesis states that stimulation of the immune system by infectious agents, such as microbes that stimulate normal immune responses, is protective against the development of inflammatory diseases, and that due to a rise in hygiene in urban settings there are less protective microbes in humans. This subsequently leads to an increase in autoimmune inflammatory disorders, including multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, allergic rhinitis and possibly ASD (Weinstock and Elliott 2013; Rook et al. 2015). The interaction of the developing immune system with microorganisms, including helminths, may be an important component of normal immune system maturation. TSO has been studied in clinical trials of other immune-inflammatory disorders such as allergies (Bager et al. 2010), inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis (Garud and Peppercorn, 2009), Crohn’s disease (Sandborn et al. 2013) and multiple sclerosis (Fleming et al. 2011, Khan and Fallon 2013) with mixed results. This is the first such study in ASD or any neurodevelopmental disorder.
Characterization of Trichuris muris secreted proteins and extracellular vesicles provides new insights into host–parasite communication
Published in Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 2018
Ramon M. Eichenberger, Md Hasanuzzaman Talukder, Matthew A. Field, Phurpa Wangchuk, Paul Giacomin, Alex Loukas, Javier Sotillo
The recent publication of the genome and transcriptome of T. muris has provided meaningful insights into the immunobiology of whipworm infections [8]. This work provided new information on potential drug targets against trichuriasis and elucidated important traits that drive chronicity. Despite this progress, and the tractability of the T. muris model, very few proteomic studies have been conducted, and only a handful of reports have described proteins secreted by Trichuris spp. [9–14]. Drake et al. characterized a pore-forming protein that T. muris [14] and T. trichiura [13] use to drill holes in the host cell membrane. Furthermore, it has been suggested that a thioredoxin-like protein secreted by the pig whipworm Trichuris suis plays a role in mucosal homeostasis [11].
Role of environmental factors in multiple sclerosis
Published in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 2021
Amin Zarghami, Ying Li, Suzi B. Claflin, Ingrid van der Mei, Bruce V. Taylor
There is some evidence suggesting that helminths may be a novel therapeutic option for MS treatment [163]. However, the clinical trials conducted to date have only included a small number of subjects. Results from two clinical trials (2011, n = 5 cases; 2019, n = 16 cases) of probiotic administration of a nonpathogenic helminth (Trichuris suis) in RRMS patients showed modest but favorable MRI outcomes and immunoregulatory changes without significant side effects [164,165]. Conversely, a 2020 randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial (n = 66) found that 9-months of hookworm treatment had no effect on MRI activity and immune response in RRMS [166].