Helminth Infections Decrease Host Susceptibility to Immune-Mediated Diseases

Susceptibility to Immune-Mediated Diseases Helminth Infections Decrease Host

Helminth infections and host immune regulation.

Helminth parasites infect almost one-third of the world's population, primarily in tropical regions. However, regions where helminth parasites are endemic record much lower prevalences of allergies and autoimmune diseases, suggesting that parasites may protect against immunopathological syndromes. Most helminth diseases are spectral in nature, with a large proportion of relatively asymptomatic ...

Immune Regulation during Helminth Infections

Helminth is a nonphylogenetic term that refers to multicellular animals (or metazoans) that have adopted a parasitic lifestyle in mammalian hosts. They are more commonly referred to as parasitic worms. These worms generally (with the exception of Strongyloides stercoralis) cannot replicate within the host, and they have evolved distinct methods to co-exist with their host through the activation...

Vitamin D, infections and immune-mediated diseases

Vitamin D has been an exciting fi eld of research in recent years, with more than 1400 publications published on the subject in 2008. The lay press has published articles, the internet is full of information and pharmacies have prominent displays of vitamin D supplements. Historically, vitamin D has been thought only to have an effect on calcium metabolism and bone. Vitamin D defi ciency was th...

Comprehensive Transcriptome Meta-analysis to Characterize Host Immune Responses in Helminth Infections

Helminth infections affect more than a third of the world's population. Despite very broad phylogenetic differences among helminth parasite species, a systemic Th2 host immune response is typically associated with long-term helminth infections, also known as the "helminth effect". Many investigations have been carried out to study host gene expression profiles during helminth infections. The ob...