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Parasites Are Everywhere. Why Do So Few Researchers Study Them? (www.smithsonianmag.com)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Gardner felt healthy, but he decided to check himself for parasites, as one looks for ticks after a hike. He put a sample of his own feces on a microscope slide and peered through the glass. Immediately, he was shocked: Hidden within the sample were clusters of tiny, light-yellow eggs.

“I’m used to looking at that with regular animals,” says Gardner. “But I’m not a regular animal—I’m me!”

It's a shame that parasitology isn't more "popular", just from a discovery standpoint there's a lot of potential for all sorts of eg. immunomodulatory drugs there, and I have a vague memory that there's already clinical trials underway for a drug related to autoimmune diseases that was derived from how some parasite shuts off parts of the host immune system

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Evolution is a heck of a teacher.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

That's incredibly interesting. I can seemingly only find information on helminthic therapy, if you come across it do you mind passing some information this way?

Also, I read this last night and literally wanted to pack up my bags and head to Nebraska. I am glad that they are getting some funding, it sounds like they're cataloging the various species. I wondered if they performed studies as well, but I probably am going to go and have to track down more information myself if I want to know more. But it was a really comfy read, and sparked the imagination. Which is what The Smithsonian is supposed to do, so mission accomplished!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I did some digging and can't for the life of me find that clinical trial I was thinking of so I might just be remembering it wrong, but I do know there's a lot of interest in parasite-derived immunomodulatory molecules, which interestingly do often seem to be derived from helminth excretions or secretions.

This 2022 Frontiers in Parasitology article titled Immunomodulatory and biological properties of helminth-derived small molecules: Potential applications in diagnostics and therapeutics seems like a good review of the current situation.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

a) Thank you! That was super sweet! No worries, I legit pick up and put down stuff all over the place. So the crossed wires are immense.

b) I went through a series of emotiosn reading about helminth treatment. Thought: "how far are you willing to push to get better? Would I do this? Yes? No? Maybe so. Eh!" I think even the journal itself notes that it's a relatively common reaction to this new form of treatment. But if they could figure out how to spin this large scale over time, nobody really needs to know what the source of the extract is. Just more so that it can reduce swelling and seems to be hypoallergenic. Which would be pretty rad in my book. Not so open to a pill of worms in my body, way more open to treatment derived from their lipids.

Thanks again!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You're welcome!

But yeah I think derived drugs are the way to go in the long run, infecting someone with actual parasites can be a bit of a can of worms (pun intended) although not nearly as bad as it sounds like

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Hahaha! You got me laughing over here! Hahaha! Yeah it sounds like it helped some, but hindered others. And in general is pretty unpredictable. But like I said, when you're in a desperate (hopeless) situation it's kinda like...what line are you willing to cross in order to get better? Stinks, but it does go through the old brian-bin.