Helminths News and Research

RSS

Helminths are parasitic worms and a division of eukaryotic parasites that, unlike external parasites such as lice and fleas, live inside their host. They are worm-like organisms that live and feed off living hosts, receiving nourishment and protection while disrupting their hosts' nutrient absorption, causing weakness and disease. Those that live inside the digestive tract are called intestinal parasites. They can live inside humans as well as other animals. Approximately 3 billion people globally are infected with helminthes.

What medicine-exposed rats reveal about the next urban zoonotic threat

Researchers found that more than half of urban rats sampled from low-income communities in Salvador, Brazil, carried active pharmaceutical ingredients in their brain tissue. These pollutants were associated with altered zoonotic infection patterns, including lower Leptospira infection probability in rats carrying azithromycin and higher Capillaria infection probability in rats carrying citalopram.

22 May 2026

How a common gut bacterium may protect health

Akkermansia muciniphila's impact on immunity and pregnancy outcomes underscores its promise as a probiotic, with implications for infectious disease treatment.

4 May 2026

Wind-borne mosquitoes carry infectious pathogens for hundreds of miles

High-flying mosquitoes in West Africa are carriers of multiple pathogens, including West Nile virus, highlighting risks in vector-borne disease management.

4 Dec 2025

Parasitic worm evades detection by suppressing skin neurons

New research, published in The Journal of Immunology, discovered that a parasitic worm suppresses neurons in the skin to evade detection.

11 Aug 2025

New insights reveal how the immune system fights intestinal parasites

New research from the University of Pittsburgh reveals how the immune system defends against intestinal parasitic worms, or helminths, one of the most common infections worldwide in communities with limited access to clean water and sanitation.

22 Jul 2025

New mechanism regulates the immune response against parasites

Researchers at the University of Liège (Belgium) have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that regulates the immune response against parasites.

8 Feb 2025

Innovative tablet combination shows promise in fighting Trichuris trichiura and other helminths

A new tablet combining albendazole and ivermectin is safe and more effective than albendazole alone in treating Trichuris trichiura and other soil-transmitted helminths (STH), according to a clinical trial conducted by the STOP consortium and led by the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by "la Caixa" Foundation.

10 Jan 2025

Research uncovers how parasitic worms evade itch response

Ever had an itchy nose or, worse, an unreachable spot on your back that drives you mad? Now imagine an itch that refuses to go away, no matter how hard or long you scratch.

26 Oct 2024

Study reveals intestinal helminth infection diminishes T cell response to COVID-19 mRNA vaccine

Study investigates the impact of helminth infection on COVID-19 mRNA vaccine efficacy, revealing that while antibody responses remain largely unaffected, T-cell responses are significantly impaired, particularly against Omicron variants.

17 Jan 2024

Study finds high levels of enteric pathogens in children from Alabama's rural areas, highlights sanitation issues

The study reveals a significant presence of enteric pathogens in children from Alabama's Black Belt region, linking well water consumption to increased pathogen detection and underscoring the need for improved sanitation infrastructure.

19 Nov 2023

Gut feeling: How your microbiome could be shaping your mental health

Researchers in Biological Psychiatry delve into the complex relationship between the gut microbiome and mental health disorders like depression and bipolar disorder. The study explores how not just gut bacteria, but also lesser-known gut microorganisms such as viruses, fungi, and parasites, play a pivotal role in mood disorders.

5 Sep 2023

Researchers uncover novel targets for treatment of schistosomiasis

The worms that cause schistosomiasis (Schistosoma mansoni) are unusual in several ways, especially the fact that male and female adults must stay paired together throughout their lives for reproduction to be successful.

21 Jul 2023

Preserving the past, protecting the future: targeted DNA enrichment detects zoonotic pathogens in museum specimens

Study describes a novel method to search for zoonotic pathogens from animal tissues archived in museums.

28 Jun 2023

University Hospital Bonn coordinates eWHORM project to combat worm infections in sub-Saharan Africa

African and European partners join forces to enable the World Health Organisation's (WHO) "Road Map for Neglected Tropical Diseases" (NTDs) and reduce the burden of disease associated with worm infections.

11 Apr 2023

Plastic waste's 'plastisphere' could harbor and spread eukaryotic pathogens

A recent study reviews the potential for helminth, fungal, and protozoan pathogens to associate with plastisphere.

3 Apr 2023

Study reviews mechanistic data on new methods of allergy prevention and treatment

In a recent article published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers reviewed the cause and the underlying pathophysiology of allergic diseases.

23 Jan 2023

In our rapidly changing world, parasites and vectors thrive

Recently, researchers reviewed the incidence and management of emerging parasites and vectors associated with human and veterinary organisms.

20 Nov 2022

The impact of lung remodeling from prior helminth infection on SARS-CoV-2 disease pathogenesis

A recent study reported that helminth exposure enhances viral clearance and survival of mice challenged with SARS-CoV-2.

15 Nov 2022

Updated Cochrane Review: No evidence to support the use of ivermectin for treating COVID-19 infection

There remains no evidence to support the use of ivermectin for treating or preventing COVID-19 infection, state the authors of an updated Cochrane Review, which now contains 11 trials across 3409 people.

24 Jun 2022

Study highlights the cascading ecosystem consequences of sublethal parasitic infections in wild animals

Deer, caribou, bison and other similar animals are often infected by a range of internal parasites, including worms called helminths. Although many of these infections are not lethal, they can still impact health or animal behavior.

9 May 2022