".. they found a link between the parasitic worm that causes bilharzia – also known as snail fever, which affects more than 200 million people worldwide, mostly in Africa – and the sort of reduction in the immune response that produces allergic disorders. ... The research project was born of [the] discovery that the malaria parasite sends misleading messages to an infected person’s immune system by releasing small segments of its DNA encapsulated in sac-like “packages,” or nanovesicles. ... These findings explain how the bilharzia infection can persist for years without provoking an immune response. The findings also provide support for the hygiene hypothesis: Th2 cells are the ones mainly responsible for asthma, atopic dermatitis and various other allergic and autoimmune disorders, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues and organs. These diseases are uncommon in developing countries where the high prevalence of parasitic infections may suppress Th2 cells."
Fewer Infections, More Allergies: Finding the Connection “Packages” released by bilharzia parasites may hold the key to better diagnosis and treatment, and may point to new ways of treating autoimmune disorders
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