Despite being gross, new research published in Immunity has found that intestinal worms may actually be able to help the immune system. While worms cause serious health problems, intestinal worms can cross-talk with gut bacteria and boost immunity as an indirect way of protecting themselves.
This is good news for the nearly two billion people across the world who are infected with intestinal worms. Because of their long co-evolution with mammals, intestinal worms have developed a close relationship with their host’s immune systems, to the point that they can regulate the host’s immune system in beneficial ways.
