Parasite larvae could help fight allergies

Our immune system protects us against pathogens. However, an excessive immune reaction can trigger allergies or chronic asthma. Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Zentrum München have discovered an active ingredient taken from the larvae of a worm parasite that could help diminish immune reactions. The larvae of the roundworm Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri (Hpb) need a very special environment in order to survive: They have to invade the mucosal layer of the intestine in rodents, the only place where they can then develop into adult worms capable of reproduction. To do this, the tiny larvae have to outdo the host's immune system, which defends the host against the intruders with inflammatory reactions, the secretion of fluids and muscle contractions. "Normally the larvae of the parasitic worm would have no chance of withstanding these immune responses. But they use active molecules to specifically modulate the immune response of the host," explains Dr. Julia Esser-von Bieren, researcher at the Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) at Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Zentrum München.