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Updated: May 3, 2026
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Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
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Pregnancy and helminth infections
H Mpairwe1, R Tweyongyere, A Elliott
1MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit on AIDS, Entebbe, Uganda.
Parasite Immunology
|January 30, 2014
Summary
Helminth infections during pregnancy may harm maternal health and birth outcomes. More research is needed to confirm if deworming treatments during pregnancy offer benefits, especially in undernourished populations.
Area of Science:
- Maternal and Fetal Health
- Immunology
- Parasitology
Background:
- Helminth infections during pregnancy are hypothesized to negatively impact maternal anemia and birth outcomes.
- Anthelmintic treatment during pregnancy is proposed as a beneficial intervention, though evidence is limited.
- Prenatal helminth exposure may influence fetal immune development and long-term immune responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of helminth infection and anthelmintic treatment on maternal and infant health during pregnancy.
- To investigate the long-term effects of prenatal helminth exposure on immune responses to various antigens and allergens.
- To explore the potential of prenatal interventions for preventing inflammatory conditions in offspring.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing treatment trials on helminth infection during pregnancy.
- Analysis of epidemiological data on prenatal helminth exposure and offspring health outcomes.
- Exploration of immunological mechanisms linking prenatal helminth exposure to immune development.
Main Results:
- Existing treatment trials provide limited support for the benefits of anthelmintic treatment during pregnancy.
- Further trials are necessary, particularly in populations experiencing nutritional stress.
- Evidence suggests prenatal helminth exposure can shape fetal immune responses with potential long-term consequences.
Conclusions:
- The proposed benefits of anthelmintic treatment during pregnancy require further investigation, especially in nutritionally stressed populations.
- Prenatal helminth exposure may have lasting, non-specific effects on offspring's immune system and susceptibility to inflammatory diseases.
- Intervention during pregnancy could offer a strategy for primary prevention of conditions like allergies.
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