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Just Add Worms!

It has been speculated that our "clean living" is sometimes too clean...

Whipworm--an intestinal parasite


Consider Inflammatory Bowel Disease, for instance.  It is thought that the absence of exposure to parasitic worms is a root cause of some oversensitive, gut-based immune system cases of IBD.  These worms are thought to help promote a balance of microorganisms in the GI tract...but it appears that the most developed nations on the earth have the highest cases of Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis.

A study team at NYU Langone Medical Center is looking into this very issue. They observed that the incidence of IBD in Malaysia ( a more underdeveloped country) is very low, while persons of this region have a high rate of worm infections.  In experiments conducted thus far, they intentionally infected mice with intestinal worms and observed a significant change in the  gut microbiome of these mice.  This is one of the first studies linking parasitic worms, normal flora of the gut, and inflammatory bowel disease...and it could revolutionize the way we think about treating inflammatory bowel conditions in the future!

Sources: Newswise.com; Flickr.com


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