Medical researchers have been studying the role of the immune system in MS, an autoimmune disorder that destroys the myelin sheath that is crucial in the transmission of nerve impulses. Researchers in Argentina found that patients with MS had milder forms of the disease along with fewer flare-ups if they were infected with whipworm.

Apparently, whipworms, trigger the release of a specific helper T cell, known as Th2, in the immune response. When the body is under attack by viruses, bacteria or parasites, this amazing cell kills the invading pathogen while leaving healthy cells alone.

In MS, the immune system releases a different helper cell, Th1 – but this cell attacks and destroys healthy cells as well as the invading pathogens. Medical researchers found that if Th2 is stimulated, it suppresses the effects of Th1. Hence, people in Argentina who had MS and were naturally infected with whipworm, had fewer exacerbations and better outcomes.

Phase II drug trials are currently underway in the U.S. that involve ingesting a concoction of worm eggs every two weeks for three months. The special drink has approximately 2,500 whipworm eggs that attach to the walls of the gut. Because the immune system destroys them, participants in the study will need to take a series of these drinks over a period of several months.

Trials of controlled parasite ingestion have already shown promising results. In one study published in the Annals of Neurology (Vol 61, Issue 2, 97-108), during a 4.6 year follow-up period, “parasite-infected MS patients showed a significantly lower number of exacerbations, minimal variation in disability scores, as well as fewer magnetic resonance imaging changes when compared with uninfected MS patients.”

Because the parasite count in this mixture is fairly low but still strong enough to trigger the Th1 immune response, there is virtually no risk to developing complications associated with ingestion of these worms.

Other related posts:

New Treatment Possibility for MS: Thyroid Hormones