July 8th, 2008
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This news item is more than a year old. Links, graphics, content, medical information, and statistics may be out of date. We invite you to search, visit our homepage, or contact us to find more current information on the topic you're looking for.Can a worm a day keep asthma at bay?
Scientists develop new treatment for allergic diseases
Medical News Today, 06 Sep 2005
The key to preventing asthma and reducing allergies may lie in an unexpected source: parasitic worms. Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have managed to cure experimental asthma in the lab using a live worm, the first time a human parasite has been used for this purpose. Dr Padraic Fallon from the Department of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin will present these findings at the BA Festival of Science on Monday 5 September.
The UK and Ireland are experiencing an asthma epidemic and have some of the highest rates of asthma in the world and the prevalence of allergic diseases has more than doubled over the last two or three decades in the developed world. This is particularly marked in Irish schoolchildren, with just under a third of children aged 13-14 showing symptoms of asthma.