Parasitic worms could provide the key to finding cures for asthma and other allergies, according to new research to be unveiled today. Researchers have used Schistosoma mansoni, flatworms responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in developing countries, to develop resistance to life-threatening allergic conditions.Many scientists believe there is a link between the disappearance of parasitic worms from modern, developed societies and dramatic increases in common allergies to foods such as peanuts and to dust mites, insect stings and cats in those countries.Britain has one of the highest rates of asthma in Europe, with 5.2 million people receiving treatment. Allergies have risen three-fold in the past 20 years, according to the Royal College of Physicians.Dr Padraic Fallon, a biochemist, will present research today at the British Association for the Advancement of Science festival in Dublin showing that parasitic worms could be used to develop treatments for a range of conditions.
