Public release date: 7-Apr-2004

Contact: Claire Bowles
claire.bowles~rbi.co.uk
44-207-331-2751
New Scientist

REGULAR doses of worms really do rid people of inflammatory bowel disease. The first trials of the treatment have been a success, and a drinkable concoction containing thousands of pig whipworm eggs could soon be launched in Europe.
The product will be called TSO, short for Trichuris suis ova, and will be made by a new German company called BioCure, whose sister company BioMonde sells leeches and maggots for treating wounds. Chief executive Detlev Goj says he expects sales of TSO in Europe will start in May, after approval by the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products. The agency would not comment. The pig whipworm was chosen as it does not survive very long in people. Patients would have to take TSO around twice a month. The human whipworm, which infects half a billion people, can occasionally cause problems such as anaemia.

The latest trials, carried out in the US, involved 100 people with ulcerative colitis and 100 with Crohn's disease, both incurable and potentially serious diseases collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease. In many of the volunteers the symptoms of IBD- such as abdominal pain, bleeding and diarrhoea- disappeared. The remission rate was 50 per cent for ulcerative colitis and 70 per cent for Crohn's, says gastroenterologist Joel Weinstock of the University of Iowa, who devised the treatment.

"A lot of researchers couldn't believe this treatment was effective, but people are always sceptical when confronted with new ideas," Weinstock says. He will announce the results in May at a conference in New Orleans, and full details will soon be published. "With our new impressive results, we can come out of the closet," he says.

The trials follow the success of a pilot study, revealed by New Scientist in 1999 (7 August, p 4). Weinstock came up with the idea of using worms to treat IBD after noticing that the sharp rise in the disease over the past 50 years in western countries coincided with a fall in infections by parasites such as roundworms and human whipworms. IBD is still rare in developing countries where parasitic infections remain common.

Weinstock's theory is that our immune systems have evolved to cope with the presence of such parasites, and can become overactive without them.

Author: Frank van Kolfshooten

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...s-dow040704.php

My gastroenterologist has contacted me twice now to ask me to volunteer for a trial of a new Ulcerative Colitis treatment - I wonder if this is it.

(I was diagnosed with UC back in 1985 and have had occasional mild flare-ups ever since - except for the last 15 months, when I've been low-carb.)

I'd be happy to participate, but I've been in remission already, so I'd just skew the results.

Wow... that's just wild. I wonder why it works?

One theory has it that UC is believed to be caused by an underused immune system errantly attacking the digestive system. If the immune system is busy fending off the worms, the theory goes, it won't have time to attack the colon.

Another theory holds that an imbalance of the intestinal bacteria (such as, too much bacterioides, not enough acidophilous, for example) causes the immune system malfunction, and that the worms somehow rebalance the system.

I don't think a precise mechanism has been delineated but I'm always on the lookout for one.

Worm diet 'treats bowel disorder'

BBC News

Last Updated: Tuesday, 6 April, 2004, 23:12 GMT 00:12 UK

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3604189.stm


The worms don't survive very long in humans

People with inflammatory bowel disease could soon be swallowing worms in an effort to relieve their symptoms.

Scientists in the United States have developed a drink containing thousands of pig whipworm eggs.

Trials suggest it can dramatically reduce the abdominal pain, bleeding and diarrhoea associated with the disease.

According to a report in New Scientist, the drink, which is called TSO, could be on sale in Europe by May if it is approved for use by regulators.

Effective treatment

A number of studies have suggested that live worms could be an effective treatment for conditions like Crohn's disease and colitis, known collectively as inflammatory bowel disease

In fact, some scientists believe the eradication of worms from human stomachs over the past 50 years may be behind the rise in these conditions.

As the number of infections by parasites, such as roundworms and human whipworms, has fallen, the number of people being diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease has increased.

In contrast, the condition is still rare in developing countries where parasitic infections remain common.

Scientists at the University of Iowa say they have tested their product on 200 people with the condition. They opted for pig whipworms because they do not survive very long in humans.

They say symptoms disappeared in most of those who took part in the trial. The findings are due to be announced at a conference in the United States in May.

"With our new impressive results, we can come out of the closet," said Dr Joel Weinstock, a gastroenterologist at the University who has developed the treatment.

The product will be made by German company BioCure. It has applied to the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products for an EU-wide license to sell the product. Patients would take TSO around twice a month.

Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease appear to be caused by an overactive immune system, which causes inflammation in the digestive system.

The condition is incurable, and normal treatments include steroids, which can reduce the inflammation, although these have been known to produce side effects.

I really hope these are microscopic little guys.... otherwise... ugh.

Who would've thought that good sanitation and lack of parasites would make anyone ill?

Good sanitation is being investigated as the culprit in allergies, lupus, and other immune system disorders as well.

And I'll check on the size of the worms, but I doubt they are microscopic.

Whipworms [in Pigs]

http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/swine/g1049.htm

Trichuris suis, is called the whipworm because it is shaped like a whip. A mature whipworm is 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. It has one of the simplest life cycles known. Eggs are laid in the large intestine and pass from the body in manure. They develop into infective larvae in 21 days. After being swallowed by a pig, the young larvae burrow into the wall of the large intestine. Within a few days, the young worms emerge, attach to the lining of the large intestine and grow to maturity. A life cycle lasts 70-90 days.

Whipworms cause considerable inflammation and irritation of the intestine. Whipworm infestation is characterized by loose stools which in many cases progresses rapidly to a severe, bloody diarrhea. Diagnosis is made by finding worm eggs in the feces or by recovering worms at necropsy. If sexually immature worms are causing the damage, eggs may not be found in the feces.

More info at http://www.scottwd1.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/hn8.htm

Phew! That's a relief. Now, gotta ask my doctor to proscribe me some worms. That should get a laugh.

The EGGS in the drink are microscopic. The worms they produce are not.

How about if I shove a red-hot poker up my ar$e - wouldn't this provoke some kind of beneficial immune response?

Ok, I don't usually really Laugh Out Loud when reading through posts, but Ian, you got me with that one!

Liz

Lots has changed in 50 years apart from improved sanitation. One of the biggest changes has been food. Industrialized countries typically consume a lot of processed food, whereas developing countries don't. I'd like to see this element factored out in their study before I entirely believe this theory. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that seems to indicate a diet with low or no carbs from grains helps people who suffer from IBS and related diseases.

I thought the Diet of Worms was an event in the Protestant Reformation.