OBJECTIVE To examine the association between helminth infections and atherosclerosis. BACKGROUND Chronic helminth infection, which can lead to poor nutritional status and anti-inflammatory response, might protect against the development of atherosclerosis. METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed in Flores, Indonesia, an area highly endemic for soil-transmitted helminths (STH). Stool s...

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends chemotherapy for Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm infections targeted at school-age children as a feasible and cost-effective control strategy, there is no policy-backed approach for helminth control in Nigeria. This paper makes a case for regular school-based programs to deliver chemotherapy so as to reduce the burden of helminth infection...

Chronic Schistosoma mansoni infection leads to a type 2-immune response with increased production of interleukin (IL-10). Evidence indicates chronic exposure to S. mansoni down regulates the type 1 immune response and prevents the onset of Th1-mediated diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes mellitus and Crohn's disease. Furthermore, our own studies have revealed that chronic exposure to ...

Twenty-eight hog-nosed skunks (Conepatus leuconotus), 23 striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), and nine spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis) from an area of sympatry in west-central Texas were examined for helminth parasites. Shared helminth species among all three host species were one nematode (Physaloptera maxillaris), two acanthocephalans (Pachysentis canicola, Macracanthorhynchus ingens), and...

Twelve Bonsmara tracer calves (aged 6-12 months) were used to monitor helminth infections in the communal farming system of Botshabelo in the Free State. One calve was slaughtered each month from December 1995 to November 1996 and processed for helminth recovery. All the calves harboured worms, but the numbers were always low. The order of prevalence of the major parasites was Trichostrongylus ...

BACKGROUND The poor correlation between allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (asIgE) and clinical signs of allergy in helminth infected populations suggests that helminth infections could protect against allergy by uncoupling asIgE from its effector mechanisms. We investigated this hypothesis in Ugandan schoolchildren coinfected with Schistosoma mansoni and hookworm. METHODS Skin prick test (SP...

BACKGROUND The effects of helminth co-infection on malaria in humans remain uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the nature of association of intestinal helminths with prevalence and clinical outcomes of Plasmodium infection. METHODS A cross-sectional study involving 1,065 malaria suspected febrile patients was conducted at Dore Bafeno Health Center, Southern Ethiopia, from December 2010 t...

Anti-helminth immunity involves CD4+ T cells, yet the precise effector mechanisms responsible for parasite killing or expulsion remain elusive. We now report an essential role for antibodies in mediating immunity against the enteric helminth Heligmosomoides polygyrus (Hp), a natural murine parasite that establishes chronic infection. Polyclonal IgG antibodies, present in naive mice and produced...

Co-infections can alter the host immune responses and modify the intensity and dynamics of concurrent parasitic species. The extent of this effect depends on the properties of the system and the mechanisms of host-parasite and parasite-parasite interactions. We examined the immuno-epidemiology of a chronic co-infection to reveal the immune mediated relationships between two parasites colonising...