Helminths News and Research

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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.

Study reveals key role of IL-33 signaling molecule in parasite infections, other health conditions

De'Broski Herbert has a philosophy that's guided his career researching helminths, or parasitic worms, and their interaction with their hosts' immune systems: "Follow the worm."

15 Nov 2020

Illustrations by Nigerian artist kickstart debate on neglected tropical disease

Illustrations by a local artist in Nigeria are helping health workers and policy makers understand what it's really like to live with a neglected tropical disease (NTD).

5 Nov 2020

New project aims to find the effect of COVID-19 infection on the next generation

So far, 50 Covid-19 patients between 30 and 40 have delivered a sperm sample. Students are next in line. The plan is that participants will return after 12 months for more testing.

2 Nov 2020

PATH wins grant to develop oral treatment option for soil-transmitted helminth infections

PATH announced today they received a grant from Japan's Global Health Innovative Technology Fund to develop a new oral treatment option for soil-transmitted helminth infections.

1 Oct 2020

Unique molecular mechanics can pave way for potential treatments for infections

Unique molecular mechanics allowing parasites to thrive in the guts of one billion people open the door to new treatments that are safe for the host.

6 Aug 2020

Do parasites protect against SARS-CoV-2?

The world has rarely seen such a readily transmissible infection as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) over the last century. Within five months, the virus has created a Tsunami of COVID-19 positive cases, comprising almost 4.88 million people and causing 322,000 deaths.

19 May 2020

Mothers can transfer life-long protection against infection to infants by breastfeeding

Mothers can transfer life-long protection against infection to their infants by breastfeeding. This was the finding from new research in mice by an international team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Cape Town.

31 May 2019

Study: Mothers' breast milk can provide protection against infection that lasts for life

Mothers' breast milk can provide protection against infection that lasts for life, finds new research in mice by an international team of scientists including experts at the University of Birmingham.

30 May 2019

New study provides better understanding on safety of deworming programs

A new study has identified no major differences between the microbiomes of people infected with roundworm or hookworm and uninfected peers.

23 Apr 2019

New research aims to turn worms against parasite-associated cancer

Billions worldwide are infected with tropical worms. Unsurprisingly, most of these people live in poor countries, kept poor by the effects of worm-related malnourishment.

26 Mar 2019

Research identifies cell signaling pathways related to endocannabinoid system in worms

Like mammals, parasitic worms have an endocannabinoid system that may help the worm and the hosts it infects survive by reducing pain and inflammation in the host, according to a "wild" new discovery by an interdisciplinary research team at the University of California, Riverside.

23 Aug 2018

Researchers publish new paper on developing vaccine candidates for Helminthic parasites

Helminthic parasites, like hookworm and liver flukes (schistosomiasis), affect an estimated 1 billion people worldwide. Infection from hookworm and schistosomiasis result in a combined loss of as much as 92 million disability-adjusted life years annually.

17 Aug 2018

Study shows absence of zoonotic parasitic worms in European farmed fish

A recent study conducted by the EU Horizon 2020-funded ParaFishControl project aimed to demonstrate the absence of zoonotic parasitic worms in European farmed fish, specifically in gilthead sea bream, European sea bass, turbot, Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout and common carp.

8 Jun 2018

Elevated immune function during childhood linked to stunted growth

Elevated immune function during childhood results in as much as 49 percent growth reduction in Ecuador's indigenous Shuar population, researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

24 Apr 2018

Gut microbes linked to severity of intestinal parasitic worm infections

A new study indicates that the kinds of microbes living in the gut influence the severity and recurrence of parasitic worm infections in developing countries.

9 Mar 2018

Parasitic tapeworm could someday help prevent or treat pediatric IBD

New research suggests that parasitic worms could someday help prevent or treat pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The study, published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, was chosen as an APSselect article for March.

2 Mar 2018

Nervous system can "put the brakes" on immune response and prevent excessive inflammation

Cells in the nervous system can "put the brakes" on the immune response to infections in the gut and lungs to prevent excessive inflammation, according to research by Weill Cornell Medicine scientists. This insight may one day lead to new ways to treat diseases caused by unchecked inflammation, such as asthma and inflammatory bowel disease.