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Review
. 2019 Aug;39(3):417-427.
doi: 10.1016/j.iac.2019.03.009. Epub 2019 May 7.

Helminths and Asthma: Risk and Protection

Jamille Souza Fernandes  1 , Luciana Santos Cardoso  2 , Paulo M Pitrez  3 , Álvaro A Cruz  4
Affiliations
Review

Helminths and Asthma: Risk and Protection

Jamille Souza Fernandes et al. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

Helminth infections may inhibit the development of allergic diseases, including asthma. On the other hand, some helminth species may induce or worsen symptoms of asthma. This article discusses the impact of helminth infections on asthma as well as the potencial of helminth-derived molecules with regulatory characteristics in the prevention or treatment of this disease. The ability to induce regulation has been observed in animal models of asthma or cells of asthmatic individuals in vitro. Potential future clinical applications of helminth antigens or infection for prevention of asthma merit further translational research.

Keywords: Anthelmintic treatment; Asthma; Helminths; Regulatory molecules; Symptoms; Type 2 response.

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