JAMA Neurol: Hookworm infection regulates immune response or improves multiple sclerosis symptoms

Some studies have suggested that intestinal worms can induceimmuneresponse, thuspreventmultiple sclerosis (MS)Recently, researchers examined the effects of hookworm therapy on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and T-regulating cells in patients with recurrent MSstudy was conducted in the UK over a nine-month period involving 71 patients aged 18 to 61 with recurrent multiple sclerosis who were randomly treated with american larvae infected by skinor placeboA monthly MRI scan is performed 3 to 9 months after treatmentThe main endpoint of the study is the cumulative number of new/expanded T2/new enhanced T1 lesions in the 9th monthThe secondary endpoint is the percentage of the differentiated clusters (CD) in peripheral blood (CD) 4 plus CD25highCD127negT regulated cellsThe average age ofpatients was 45 years, 71 per cent were female, 35 were treated for hookworms, 36 were treated for comfort and 66 (93.0 per cent) completed the trialStatistically, there was no significant difference in the median cumulative number of new/expanded/enhanced lesions between the two groupsIncreased percentage of hookworm group CD4-CD25highCD127negTneg cells (4.4% vs 3.9%)No patients withdrew from treatment due to adverse reactions There was no difference in adverse reactions between the two groups, but there was more skin discomfort (82% vs 28%) at the application site of the hookworm group 5 cases (14.3%) of patients with hookworms had RElapse in MS and 11 cases (30.6%) in the placebo group studies have found that hookworm infection increases the proportion of T-regulating cells in patients with multiple sclerosis, suggesting that hookwormhasisis has an immune biological effect and has the potential to affect MS disease activity