Short-Term Intestinal Parasite Infection Triggers Specific Cytokines That Can Prevent the Development of Type 1 Diabetes

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120719103244.htm

ScienceDaily (July 18, 2012) — Short-term infection with intestinal worms may provide long-term protection against type I diabetes (TID), suggests a study conducted by William Gause, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School. The research has been published in the journal Mucosal Immunology.

The incidence of TID -- a form of the disease in which the body's own immune cells attack the insulin-producing islet cells of the pancreas -- is relatively low in developing countries. One explanation for this phenomenon is the prevalence of chronic intestinal worm infections, which dampen the self-aggressive T cells that cause diabetes and other autoimmune diseases. Understanding how T cells are tamed during worm infection could lead to new strategies to control these inflammatory diseases.