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Therapeutic immunomodulators from nematode parasites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2008

William Harnett  and
Margaret M. Harnett
William Harnett*
Affiliation:
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
Margaret M. Harnett
Affiliation:
Division of Immunology, Infection and Inflammation, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, 120 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK.
*
*Corresponding author: William Harnett, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 27 Taylor Street, Glasgow, G4 0NR, UK. Tel.: +44 141 548 3725; Fax: +44 141 552 2562; E-mail: w.harnett@strath.ac.uk
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Abstract

There has been an alarming increase in the incidence of autoimmune and allergic diseases in Western countries in the past few decades. However, in countries endemic for parasitic helminth infections, such diseases remain relatively rare. Hence, it has been hypothesised that helminths may protect against the development of autoimmunity and allergy. This article reviews the evidence supporting this idea with respect to helminths of the phylum Nematoda (nematodes), considering data from human studies and animal models of inflammatory disease. The nature and mode of action of nematode-derived molecules with immunomodulatory properties are considered, and their therapeutic efficacy in models of autoimmunity and allergy described. The recent and future use of nematodes and their products in treating human disease are also discussed.

Type
Review Article
Information
Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine , Volume 10 , October 2008 , e18
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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References

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Further reading, resources and contacts

The nematode pages of the Cambridge University Schistosomiasis Research Group website provide background information on the various species:

Schmidt, G.S. and Roberts, L.S. (2004) Foundations of Parasitology (7th edn), McGraw-HillGoogle Scholar
http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~schisto/General_Parasitology/Hm.helminths.htmlGoogle Scholar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helminthic_therapyGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, G.S. and Roberts, L.S. (2004) Foundations of Parasitology (7th edn), McGraw-HillGoogle Scholar
http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~schisto/General_Parasitology/Hm.helminths.htmlGoogle Scholar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helminthic_therapyGoogle Scholar