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PMID: 14755072 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Review

Parasites and the hygiene hypothesis: regulating the immune system?

Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology ·Vol. 26 ·No. 1 ·2004-02-00 ·Pages 15-24

Yazdanbakhsh M, Matricardi PM

Abstract

The hygiene hypothesis proposes that the stimulation of the immune system by microbes or microbial products protects from the development of inflammatory diseases; therefore a reduced exposure to infectious agents may explain the rise in allergic and autoimmune diseases in industrialized countries. The contribution of studies on parasites and allergy to our understanding of the hygiene hypothesis has been two-fold. First, several studies have shown an inverse association between exposure to (Toxplasma gondii) or harbouring of parasites (Schistosoma or Intestinal helminths) and allergy. Second, the mechanisms behind such protective effects have provided new insights and theories on the ability of parasite derived molecules to down-regulate immune responses and thereby to control inflammatory diseases such as allergies. In this review, recent findings and new concepts relating to the associations between parasites and allergies at the epidemiological, cellular and molecular level are discussed.

MeSH Terms
Animals Humans Hygiene Hypersensitivity/prevention & control Immune System/physiopathology Models, Immunological Parasites/immunology Parasitic Diseases/immunology
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Yazdanbakhsh Maria
Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. [email protected]
Matricardi Paolo M
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Article Info
Journal
Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology
Abbr.
Clin Rev Allergy Immunol
ISSN
1080-0549
DOI
10.1385/CRIAI:26:1:15
Email
[email protected]
Published
2004-02-00
Pages
15-24
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
9504368
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1385/CRIAI:26:1:15 View journal details
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