Researchers trying to figure out how to fight unpleasant digestive conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease say they may have figured out how to use an unlikely ally — worms.
They think they’ve figured out how worm-like parasites may actually help cultivate healthy intestines, by tending to “good” bacteria and crowding out the bad species.
And they may have filled in one piece of the puzzle that’s been bedeviling researchers trying to do the same thing using the hygiene hypothesis — the idea that it’s possible to be too clean for your own good.
