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Cultivation of Heligmosomoides Polygyrus: An Immunomodulatory Nematode Parasite and its Secreted Products
Published on: April 6, 2015
Parasitic helminths: new weapons against immunological disorders
Yoshio Osada1, Tamotsu Kanazawa
1Department of Immunology and Parasitology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan. yosada@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
The prevalence of allergic and autoimmune diseases is increasing in developed countries, possibly due to reduced exposure to microorganisms in childhood (hygiene hypothesis). Epidemiological and experimental evidence in support of this hypothesis is accumulating. In this context, parasitic helminths are now important candidates for antiallergic/anti-inflammatory agents. Here we summarize antiallergic/anti-inflammatory effects of helminths together along with our own study of the effects of Schistosoma mansoni on Th17-dependent experimental arthritis. We also discuss possible mechanisms of helminth-induced suppression according to the recent advances of immunology.
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