Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suffer from chronic inflammation of the gut leading to gastrointestinal motility alterations with symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramps and diarrhea that profoundly affect their quality of life. The lack of exposure to worm infections, as a result of improved living standards and medical conditions, might have contributed to the increased incidence of IBD in the Western world. Epidemiological, experimental and clinical data support the idea that worm infection provides protection against IBD. However, treatment of patients with living worms may have serious drawbacks such as infection and/or invasion of the parasite to other tissues. Therefore, therapy with worm-derived proteins might provide a more acceptable form of treatment.
A research article published on February 14, 2010 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team led by Professor Pelckmans from the University of Antwerp used a mouse model of experimental colitis to study the beneficial therapeutic effect of worm-derived proteins on inflammation and gastrointestinal motility disturbances. This paper further enlightens the therapeutic effect of worm proteins on colitis by investigating the effect on the inflammatory process and on the motility disturbances. The results agree with previous studies showing a beneficial effect of worm infection on intestinal inflammation and of worm proteins in experimental animal models of asthma and type 1 diabetes.