Possible treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in sight

A study done by researcher Deepshika Ramanan and her colleagues has shown that a certain type of parasitic worms have the potential to treat inflammatory bowel disease.

A treatment for inflammatory bowel disease may soon be a possibility. According to a new study, a certain type of parasitic worms has the potential to help treat the disease. The findings provide important insights into how intestinal worms or helminths, manipulate the gut microbiota in a way that is beneficial for its host.

A study has shown that a certain type of parasitic worms can actually help treat inflammatory bowel disease.(Shutterstock)

Researcher Deepshika Ramanan and colleagues found that mice deficient in the gene Nod2, which are used to model Crohn’s disease, develop abnormalities in their small intestines, including a compromised layer of mucus and changes to intestinal cell morphology. These alterations allowed for greater colonisation by the bacteria Bacteroides vulgatus.

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The team found that chronic infection of these mice with the helminth Trichuris muris restored the mucus and cell morphology within the small intestines. A closer look at inflammatory markers revealed that the parasitic worms help inhibit B vulgatus via the immune signaling molecules, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, which was confirmed by knocking out a relevant transcription factor.

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The study suggesting a possible treatment for inflammatory bowel disease was published in journal Science. (Shutterstock)

Similar and even more profound results were found with a second type of helminth. Monitoring the gut microbiota of the mice over the course of infection revealed that the parasites help increase the colonisation of strains of a different family of bacteria, Clostridiales, at the expense of B vulgatus. Inflammatory bowel disease is less prevalent in regions where helminth infection is very common.

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Therefore, Ramanan and team studied an indigenous population in Malaysia that has a very high rate of infection of intestinal worms, analysing stool samples collected from individuals before and after de-worming treatment.

They detected significant changes in gut microbiota composition, where Clostridiales was the most significantly reduced order, and Bacteroidales was significantly expanded following treatment. These results reveal an intriguing and beneficial facet of a symbiotic relationship between helminths and humans.

The study is published in journal Science.