Researchers from the University of Nottingham in the UK have come out with their finding from 30 years data. They advocate that hookworms, the blood-sucking worms that have an effect on the immune system, can be used for the effective treatment for asthma and other allergies.
Now, you may ask, “What is a hookworm?” Being a parasite, the hookworm exists in the small intestine of the host. Several types of mammals, including human beings, can be hosts to hookworms.
Human beings can be infected by two types of hookworms. They are:
- Ancylostoma duodenale, which are found in the Middle East, North Africa, India and Europe.
- Necator americanus that are found in the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, China and Indonesia.
The researchers from the University of Nottingham also said that the hookworms can also help in the treatment of diabetes type 1 and multiple sclerosis.
The researchers confirmed that the individuals who were infected with tropical hookworms never suffered from allergies. For instance, people of certain region, where hookworms are totally absent, suffer from asthma. But areas where hookworms are abundant, people are less likely to suffer from asthma or other allergies.
Similarly, people of African descent who have migrated to developed countries suffer from Crohn’s disease. But, Africans living in their native place, where these worms are found, do not suffer from the same.
Hookworms have a therapeutic value because they compel their host’s immune system to work less actively, as observed by scientists. Humans with over-active immune systems suffer from auto-immune diseases (allergies), such as asthma and Crohn’s disease. Further, experiments are being carried out by Dr David Pritchard and his team for confirming that hookworms can effectively treat auto-immune diseases.
