Summers, R. (2013). Can Parasites Ameliorate or Prevent IBD and other Immune-mediated Diseases?. Afro-Egyptian Journal of Infectious and Endemic Diseases, 3(3), 89-90. doi: 10.21608/aeji.2013.17317
Robert W Summers. "Can Parasites Ameliorate or Prevent IBD and other Immune-mediated Diseases?". Afro-Egyptian Journal of Infectious and Endemic Diseases, 3, 3, 2013, 89-90. doi: 10.21608/aeji.2013.17317
Summers, R. (2013). 'Can Parasites Ameliorate or Prevent IBD and other Immune-mediated Diseases?', Afro-Egyptian Journal of Infectious and Endemic Diseases, 3(3), pp. 89-90. doi: 10.21608/aeji.2013.17317
Summers, R. Can Parasites Ameliorate or Prevent IBD and other Immune-mediated Diseases?. Afro-Egyptian Journal of Infectious and Endemic Diseases, 2013; 3(3): 89-90. doi: 10.21608/aeji.2013.17317
Can Parasites Ameliorate or Prevent IBD and other Immune-mediated Diseases?
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, USA
Abstract
The paper entitled “Impact of treatment of Intestinal parasites on the activity of Ulcerative colitis” approaches the IBD/parasite interaction by removing pre-existing parasites from ulcerative colitis patients instead of introducing them as therapy. The authors enrolled 20 patients with ulcerative colitis who had intestinal parasites. After baseline studies, specific antiparasitic therapy was given to ten of them, and the other ten remained untreated. All were evaluated in one month. In treated subjects, parameters deteriorated or remained unchanged while untreated patients they remained the same or improved. The results imply that removing the parasites was harmful and support the concept that the immune system in ulcerative colitis was adversely affected in the absence of parasites.