Helminthic therapy

[3] This therapy ties to the Hygiene hypothesis in that the lack of exposure to bacteria and parasites such as helminths can cause a weaker immune system leading to being more susceptible to autoimmune disease.

[16] It is posited that the absence of exposure to certain parasites, bacteria, and viruses is playing a significant role in the development of autoimmune diseases in the more sanitized and industrialized Western nations.

Correlational data has shown the prevalence of helminthic infections to be greatest south of the equator where the rates of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis are low.

[18][19] This is consistent with the hygiene hypothesis which suggests that helminthic infections protect individuals from developing auto-immune diseases rather than being an agent responsible for inducing them.

Epidemiological studies such as the meta-analysis by Leonardi-Bee et al.,[13] however, have helped to establish the link between parasitic infestation and their protective role in autoimmune disease development.

[24] Conversely, TH1 immune responses are characterized by the cytokines interferon gamma (IFNγ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), both of which are thought to increase inflammation and worsen the progression of autoimmune diseases and their symptoms.

The observation that allergies and autoimmune response are increasing at a similar rate in industrialized nations appears to undermine this explanation of hygiene hypothesis.

The development of vaccines, hygienic practices, and effective medical care have diminished or eliminated the prevalence and impact of many parasitic organisms, as well as bacterial and viral infections.

[26] The central thrust of the hypothesis is, therefore, that correct development of regulatory T cells in individuals may depend on exposure to organisms such as lactobacilli, various mycobacteria, and helminths.

[23] The way to correct the dysregulation is to "reconstitute", or replenish, keystone species in healthy individuals prior to the development of human diseases of modern living.

[28] The biome depletion hypothesis departs from a drug model approach, which remains the current focus of helminthic therapy as evidenced by numerous clinical trials now underway for existing disease states.

Experimental data support the hypothesis that clinically induced helminthic infections have the ability to alleviate or mitigate immune responses.

[21] Studies conducted on mice and rat models of colitis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and asthma have shown helminth-infected subjects to display protection from the disease.

[2] However, the number of organisms hosted by individuals undergoing helminthic therapy is very small and any side effects are typically only encountered in the first three months of infection.

Due to this increased online discussion on Helminth therapy, many people struggling with autoimmune diseases have turned to self-administering parasites to treat themselves.

Patients have begun to travel or look in the black market to purchase helminths, as the treatment is still in testing stages and generally discouraged by most medical professionals.