Helminthic therapy clinical trials
This page, which is still under construction, aims to explain the ins and outs of clinical trials of helminth therapy, listing both those trials that have already been carried out and those that would be interesting to perform.
Clinical trials by disease[edit | edit source]
Allergic rhinitis[edit | edit source]
- 2010 Jan - Denmark - Trichuris suis ova therapy for allergic rhinitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial -- PDF (comment on this trial : 2010 Mar Looking into the future of Trichuris suis therapy)
- 2009 Nov - GB Immunologic profiles of persons recruited for a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of hookworm infection -- Full text | PDF
- 2009 Jul - GB - Safety of hookworm infection in individuals with measurable airway responsiveness: a randomized placebo-controlled feasibility study -- Full text | PDF
Asthma[edit | edit source]
- 2006 Nov Dose-ranging study for trials of therapeutic infection with Necator americanus in humans -- Full text | PDF This study explored the dose of hookworms that would be required to have a therapeutic effect on asthma. (NA)
Autism[edit | edit source]
- 2014-2015 - TSO - 0522-12-HMO - Jerusalem, Israel - TSO in Pediatric Autistic Spectrum Disorders (TSO). Treatment: T. suis 2500 or 7500 ova or placebo orally every 2 wks for 16 wks. Results: study terminated due to lack of available study agent
- 2012-2018 - TSO - 11-11-384 - Montefiore NYO - Trichuris Suis Ova in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Treatment: T. suis 2500 ova or placebo orally every 2 wks for 12 wks, 4-week washout, then crossover. Results : 10 patients. No significant adverse effects. Trend for treatment limb to be more beneficial than placebo but did not reach statistical significance. See Randomized crossover feasibility trial of helminthic Trichuris suis ova versus placebo for repetitive behaviors in adult autism spectrum disorder
Coeliac / celiac disease[edit | edit source]
- 2019 Dec - NA - Phase 1 - NainCeD-3 - Hookworm Therapy for Coeliac Disease: A Phase 1B Safety and Dose-ranging Clinical Trial Examining Sustained Gluten Consumption in Hookworm-naive and Hookworm-infection People With Coeliac Disease. Treatment: To be completed. Results: Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial of Experimental Hookworm Infection for Improving Gluten Tolerance in Celiac Disease -- Full text | PDF
- 2016 Nov 9 Changes in duodenal tissue-associated microbiota following hookworm infection and consecutive gluten challenges in humans with coeliac disease -- Full text | PDF
- 2015 Sept 18 Experimental hookworm infection and escalating gluten challenges are associated with increased microbial richness in celiac subjects -- Full text | PDF
- 2015 Feb - NA - Phase 1/2 - AU/3/BOBD012 - hookworm infection and gluten microchallenge promote tolerance in celiac disease -- Full text | PDF (Also reported by EurekAlert [1] and ABC Austrailia. [2]). Treatment: Larvae inoculation at weeks 0 (n = 10) and 4 (n = 10), followed by small, incremental gluten challenge in 12 subjects. Results: No serious adverse events. Ten subjects successfully completed low-dose gluten challenge.
- 2011 Sept 16 - NA - Phase 2 - IBD-0214R - Suppression of inflammatory immune responses in celiac disease by experimental hookworm infection -- Full text | PDF. Treatment: Larvae inoculation at weeks 0 (n = 7) and 12 (n = 7). Seven subjects challenged at 20 weeks with 16 g gluten orally per day for 5 days. Results: No serious adverse events. Duodenal biopsies cultured with gluten antigen produced more IL-10 and IL-5 post-infection
- 2011 Mar 8 - NA - Phase 2 - IBD-0214R - Effect of hookworm infection on wheat challenge in celiac disease - a randomised double-blinded placebo controlled trial -- Full text | PDF. Treatment: Larvae inoculation at weeks 0 (n = 10) and 12 (n = 5) and placebo (n = 10). Twenty subjects challenged at 20 weeks with 16 g gluten orally per day for 5 days, Results: Transient enteritis in five subjects. Hookworm-infected mucosa retained healthy appearance. Infection resulted in no obvious benefit on pathology.
Crohn's disease[edit | edit source]
- 2014-2018 - P28GST - Phase 2 - ACROHNEM - Lille, France - Safety Study of P28GST Treatment in Crohn's Disease Patients. Treatment: Injections of P28GST protein (100 μg) at 1-month intervals for 3 months (n = 24). Results: 2019 Jun 12 Contribution of the Gut Microbiota in P28GST-Mediated Anti-Inflammatory Effects: Experimental and Clinical Insights -- Full text
- 2006 Jan - NA - A proof of concept study establishing Necator americanus in Crohn's patients and reservoir donors -- Full text | PDF Investigated whether Crohn’s disease patients would tolerate a hookworm infection, and the practical issues associated with establishing reservoir donors for this species. Treatment: Larvae inoculation at week 0 (n = 9). Reinoculation between weeks 27–30 (n = 5). Results: No serious adverse events. Five patients from first inoculation were in remission at week 45
- 2005 Jan - TSO - Trichuris suis therapy in Crohn's disease -- Full text | PDF TSO is shown to offer a unique, safe and effective alternative treatment for Crohn's disease, and potentially protection against other immunological disorders.
- 2003 Sept - TSO - Trichuris suis seems to be safe and possibly effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) This trial showed that pig whipworm ova (TSO) can reduce symptoms of Crohn’s disease without producing side effects. Treatment: Oral inoculation (2,500 ova) monitored over 12 weeks in 7 patients (4× Crohn’s disease, 3× UC). Results: Clinical improvements observed with no serious adverse events. Three patients experienced remission relapse 12 weeks after the initial dose
Diabete type 2[edit | edit source]
- 2023 Jul 26 Effect of experimental hookworm infection on insulin resistance in people at risk of type 2 diabetes -- Full text | PDF. With details in 2022 Jul Experimental hookworm infection in humans with metabolic disease -- PDF (Thesis)
- 2022 Dec 1 Worms or sugar? Mass deworming treatment doubles the probability to suffer from diabetes ten to fifteen years later. Results : "Our findings suggest that mass deworming has long-term harmful health consequences by significantly increasing the probability of diabetes".
- 2019 Dec 11 WAM. Safety and tolerability of experimental hookworm infection in humans with metabolic disease: Proof of Concept (Phase 1b) clinical trial. Safety and tolerability of experimental hookworm infection in humans with metabolic disease: study protocol for a phase 1b randomised controlled clinical trial -- Full text | PDF
Food Allergies[edit | edit source]
- 2010-2011 - TSO - Phase 1 - 2009P000414 - Boston (USA) - Trichuris Suis Ova Therapy for Mild to Moderate Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy in Adults and Children
Multiple sclerosis[edit | edit source]
- 2012-2017 - TSO - Phase 2 - TRIOMS - Berlin La Charité - Trichuris Suis Ova (TSO) in Recurrent Remittent Multiple Sclerosis and Clinically Isolated Syndrome (TRIOMS) - study protocol. Treatment : Oral inoculation (2,500 ova) every 2 weeks for 12 months. Placebo group included. Total study (n = 50) Results:
- 2011-2016 - NA - WIRMS - University of Nottingham - Worms for Immune Regulation of Multiple Sclerosis (WIRMS). Treatment: Single dermal inoculation (25 larvae) at week 0 (n = 36). Placebo group included. Results: 2020 Jun 15 Hookworm Treatment for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis -- Full text (While the primary statistical endpoint of this trial - the cumulative number of new/enlarging T2 and new enhancing T1 lesions at month 9 - was not significantly different between the hookworm group (154) and the placebo group (164), a closer examination of the data reveals that more than half the patients given hookworms did not have any new lesions. “The findings of the research… show that infecting MS patients with a safe dose of… Necator americanus induces immunoregulatory responses and boosts the number of cells which help keep the immune system under control.” [3] The trial’s lead researcher concluded, “I think there would be a niche for this approach - for individuals with mild disease who don't want to take immunomodulating drugs for life and would prefer a more natural approach.” [4])
- 2011 Apr - The impact of parasite infections on the course of multiple sclerosis. Treatment: Prospective clinical monitoring study of parasite-infected patients with relapsing-remitting disease (n = 12). Four patients received anti-parasitic treatment over the monitoring period. Results: After antiparasitic treatment, patients presented with increased numbers of exacerbations. This was met with a decrease in IL-10- and TGFβ-secreting cells
- 2008 - NA - WIRMS-1 - University of Nottingham - Immunoregulation by Controlled Parasite Exposure in Multiple Sclerosis. (WIRMS-1). Treatment: Single dermal inoculation (25 larvae) at week 0. Placebo group included. Results: Withdrawn prior to enrollment, superceded by similar study
- 2007 Feb - Association between parasite infection and immune responses in multiple sclerosis -- PDF (Also reported by Science Daily [5] and the BBC. [6]) This was the first study to explore the effect of helminth infection on immune response and the natural course of Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. It showed that MS progressed much more slowly in patients who hosted intestinal worms. Treatment: Prospective clinical monitoring study of parasite-infected patients (n = 12) and non-infected patients (n = 12). Results: Parasite-infected patients presented with fewer numbers of exacerbations. A significant increase in IL-10 and TGFβ and a decrease in IL-12 and IFNγ observed in self-reactive cells
Psoriasis[edit | edit source]
- 2017 Jun 8 Immune responses and parasitological observations induced during probiotic treatment with medicinal Trichuris suis ova in a healthy volunteer (TSO)
- Comment by William Parker:
- The report by Williams and colleagues in the August issue of Immunology Letters describes a case in which a scientist exposed himself/herself to a helminth well-known among the veterinary community, the porcine whipworm. The intention was to observe the effects of exposure to the helminth on the scientist’s immune disorder and to monitor the fate of the organisms following that exposure. The scientist saw improvement in his or her psoriasis (...) Fortunately, Williams used a lower pH formulation (produced in-house using the ParaTech protocol and stored at pH 1). [7] (PDF)
- The authors of this report also claimed that, during their study, they made "the first definitive observations that T. suis can mature to adult size and reproduce in humans". However, patent infection was claimed solely on the basis of colonoscopic examination and the passage of unembryonated whipworm eggs in the subject’s faeces, neither of which provides definitive proof of species. The subject had in fact previously hosted the human whipworm, Trichuris trichiura (TT), which was assumed by those conducting the study to have been eradicated following the administration of mebendazole. However, the use of mebendazole to eradicate TT is not reliable unless 100mg of the drug is taken twice daily for at least 3-5 days (see Terminating a human whipworm infection) so, in spite of the bold claim by the researchers that they were the first to report a patent TS infection in a human volunteer undergoing TSO treatment, it is likely that the adult whipworms observed in this case were TT and not TS, and that the eggs were TTO and not TSO.
Rheumatoid arthritis[edit | edit source]
- 2011 - TSO - TSORA. Immanuel Krankenhouse in Berlin. Trichuris suis ova (TSO) as a additional therapy for rheumatoid arthritis patients with insufficient response to methotrexate. A prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled monocenter study. Treatment: Oral inoculation (2,500 ova) every 2 weeks for 24 weeks. Placebo group included. Total study (n = 50). Results : "Prematurely Ended"
Ulcerative colitis[edit | edit source]
- 2012-2015 - TSO - MUCUS - NYU Langone Health (USA) - Mucosal Immunity of Ulcerative Colitis Patients Undergoing Therapy With Trichuris Suis Ova - Treatment: Two arms. First arm, oral inoculation (2,500 ova) at 2-week intervals for 12 weeks followed by placebo for 12 weeks. Second arm, placebo for 12 weeks followed by oral inoculation (2,500 ova) at 2-weeks intervals for 12 weeks. Results: No study results posted
- 2005 Apr - TSO - Trichuris suis therapy for active ulcerative colitis: a randomized controlled trial -- PDF. Treatment: Oral inoculation (2,500 ova) at 2-week intervals for 12 weeks (n = 30). Placebo group included (n = 24). Results: Treatment cohort saw 43% improvement in disease index. No serious adverse events
- 2003 Sept - TSO - Trichuris suis seems to be safe and possibly effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) This trial showed that pig whipworm ova (TSO) can reduce symptoms of Crohn’s disease without producing side effects. Treatment: Oral inoculation (2,500 ova) monitored over 12 weeks in 7 patients (4× Crohn’s disease, 3× UC). Results: Clinical improvements observed with no serious adverse events. Three patients experienced remission relapse 12 weeks after the initial dose
Well people[edit | edit source]
- 2024-2026 - NA - HiBiSki - Leiden (NLD) - Investigating the Local Immune Responses in the Skin After Repeated Hookworm Infection
- 2015-2026 - NA - SVI-CH-01 - Leiden (NLD) - An Experimental Infection Study of Dermally-applied Infectious Necator Americanus Hookworm Larvae in Hookworm-naïve Adults
- 2018-2019 - NA ITCHHI - Leiden (NLD) - Immunisation, Treatment and Controlled Human Hookworm Infection
- 2018-2018 - NA - ReCHHI1 - Leiden (NLD) - Repeated Controlled Human Hookworm Infection in Healthy Dutch Volunteers. Results : 2021 - A Randomized Controlled Trial to Investigate Safety and Variability of Egg Excretion After Repeated Controlled Human Hookworm Infection
- 2017-2021 - NA - CHHIL - Leiden (NLD) - Establishing a Controlled Human Hookworm Infection Model at Leiden University Medical Center. Results: 2020 Nov 9 Dynamics of the bacterial gut microbiota during controlled human infection with Necator americanus larvae -- Full text | PDF
- 2012-2012 - TSO - NCT03079700 - Denmark - Mucosal and Systemic Immune Modulation From Trichuris Suis in a Self-infected Individual. "The included volunteer is a researcher within parasitology with main focus on Trichuris trichiura and Trichiura suis. He planned to infect himself and contacted our department with the purpose of being monitored during this infection for safety (medical supervision) and research reasons. The only clinical criterion for his inclusion in the study was that he was healthy."
Defective clinical trials[edit | edit source]
Due to a number of significant issues with the design of many of the trials using live helminths, specifically those trials the results from which were published between 2011 and 2018, the conclusions drawn by the authors of these studies cannot be relied upon.
The design flaws in question are elaborated in Problems with clinical trials using live helminths, below.
Coronado Biosciences (Fortress Biotech) / Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH clinical trials[edit | edit source]
See Press Release for more details.
NB. The TSO product used in all the Coronado Biosciences / Dr. Falk Pharma clinical trials was stored at a pH of 5.0.
- Comment by William Parker:
- ... the field suffered more than a catastrophic failure when Ovamed, the owner of the TSO technology, shut down clinical trials in mid-2015 due to a lack of effectiveness. But failure of a helminth in a clinical trial, more so than failure of a precisely characterized pharmaceutical, is not necessarily a sign that potential is low. Our socio-medical studies (2) suggest that storage of TSO at a pH above 4, the standard used in the Ovamed-sponsored trials, may impede the therapeutic effect of the organisms in humans. [8] (PDF)
Autism
- 2014-2015 - CNDO 201-101 - Efficacy and Safety of Trichuris Suis Ova (TSO) as Compared to Placebo in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Treatment: T. suis 2500 ova or placebo orally every 2 wks for 4 wks followed by 7500 ova every 2 wks for 12 wks, 4-week washout, then crossover. Results: Study terminated prior to enrollment.
- 2016 Oct 5 - TSO - Phase 2 - TRUST-2 - A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial of Trichuris suis ova in Active Crohn's disease -- Full text | PDF This trial employed a novel TSO formulation with a pH of 5, when it is known that storage of TSO at a pH above 4 may impede its therapeutic effect in humans. [9] The conclusions drawn by the authors of this study about the efficacy of TSO are therefore not reliable.
- 2010-2014 - TSO - Phase 2 - TRUST-2 - Trichuris Suis Ova (TSO) Suspension Versus Placebo in Active Crohn's Disease (TRUST-2). Treatment: Oral inoculation (low, medium, and high-dose ova) with placebo group included. Results: study results unknown
- 2012-2014 - TSO - Phase 2 - TRUST-I Phase 2 : Efficacy and Safety of Trichuris Suis Ova (TSO) as Compared to Placebo (TRUST-I). Treatment: Oral inoculation (7,500 ova) at 2-week intervals for 10 weeks. Placebo group included. Results: "In the overall patient population, response rate of patients on TSO did not separate from that of placebo" [10]. "The company later canceled a European Phase 2 study due to lack of efficacy, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's Helmby wrote in BMC Immunology" [11]
- 2011-2012 - TSO - Phase 1 - CNDO 201-002 - A Sequential Dose-Escalation, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase I Study to Evaluate the Safety and Tolerability of Single Doses of 3 Different Doses of Oral CNDO 201 Trichuris Suis Ova Suspension (Tso) in Patients With Crohn's Disease. Treatment: Sequential dose escalation (500, 2,500, and 7,500 ova) given orally (n = 27). Placebo group included (n = 9). Results: Minor adverse events seen in both placebo and treatment groups. Infection resulted in no obvious benefit to pathology. Seven thousand five hundred ova dose was safe and well tolerated
Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
- 2017 Oct 1 - HINT Phase 2 - Helminth-induced Immunomodulation Therapy (HINT) in Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Treatment: Oral inoculation (2,500 ova) at 2-week intervals (n = 18). Results: Safety and efficacy of helminth treatment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: Results of the HINT 2 clinical trial -- PDF This trial employed a novel TSO formulation with a pH of 5, when it is known that storage of TSO at a pH above 4 may impede its therapeutic effect in humans. [12] The conclusions drawn by the authors of this study about the efficacy of TSO are therefore not reliable.
- 2015 Nov - TRIMS A - Rigshospitalet, Denmark - Trichuris suis ova therapy in relapsing multiple sclerosis is safe but without signals of beneficial effect This study used a treatment period of only 12 weeks, which is inadequate when assessing the efficacy of helminths, and it also used a novel TSO formulation with a pH of 5, when it is known that storage of TSO at a pH above 4 may impede its therapeutic effect in humans. [13] The conclusions drawn by the authors of this study about the efficacy of TSO are therefore not reliable.
- 2011 Apr - HINT Phase 1 - Helminth-induced Immunomodulation Therapy (HINT) in Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Treatment: Oral inoculation (2,500 ova) at 2-week intervals (n = 18). Results: Probiotic helminth administration in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a phase 1 study -- Full text | PDF (TSO)
Psoriasis
- 2014-2015 - CNDO 201-201 - TSO for Plaque Psoriasis. Treatment: Three arms. First arm, oral inoculation (7,500 ova) every 2 weeks for 10 weeks. Second arm, oral inoculation (15,000 ova) every 2 weeks for 10 weeks. Third arm, placebo comparator. Results: Withdrawn
- 2013-2014 - TSOPSO13 - Tufts (USA) - Efficacy Study of Trichuris Suis Ova to Treat Chronic Plaque Psoriasis. Treatment: Oral inoculation (7,500 ova) every 2 weeks for 14 weeks. Results: Lack of efficacy
- 2013-2014 - GCO 12-188 - Mount Sinai (USA) - Safety and Effectiveness of CNDO 201Trichuris Suis Ova (TSO) for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis. Treatment: Two arms. First arm, oral inoculation (2,500 ova) every 2 weeks for 10 weeks. Second arm, oral inoculation (7,500 ova) every 2 week for 10 weeks. Total study (n = 8). Resuts: Study results unknown
Ulcerative Colitis
- 2013-2015 - TSO - CNDO 201 - A Prospective, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Phase II Clinical Study of Trichuris Suis Ova Treatment in Left-sided Ulcerative Colitis and Its Effects on Mucosal Immune State and Microbiota
ParaTech A/S[edit | edit source]
ParaTech is a danish company that produce TSO.
Ulcerative Colitis
- 2018-2022 - TSO - Phase 2 - PROCTO - Denmark - Probiotic Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis with Trichuris Suis Ova: A Randomised, Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial (the PROCTO Trial) - Result: 2024 Nov 4 Probiotic Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis with Trichuris Suis Ova: A Randomised, Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial (the PROCTO Trial)
- NB. Subjects in the treatment arm of this trial received a dose of 7,500 TSO every second week for 24 weeks. This was a significant deviation from the much lower level of dosing that had been established empirically by the Tufts Medical Center team involved in the early clinical trials of TSO [14] [15] [16] [17] and which had been further confirmed as the optimal level for dosing with this organism during more than a decade of use by thousands of customers of Ovamed, who marketed the product from 2003 onwards, and, later, Tanawisa.
- This collective experience had shown that a course of 10 fortnightly doses of 2,500 TSO would frequently produce disease remission in ulcerative colitis and that, if remission were not achieved by this means, a further course of 10 fortnightly doses of 2,500 TSO would often prove to be effective. Only in the few cases where this second course of treatment has failed to produce complete remission is there any need to escalate the dosage, first to 5,000 TSO every two weeks, and then, if necessary, to 7,500 TSO fortnightly.
- Starting with 7,500 ova at the outset of treatment, as was done in the PROCTO trial, is not only inadvisable on the grounds of cost, but also pointless from the therapeutic perspective. Moreover, it is possible that commencing with this unnecessarily excessive dose may trigger a more aggressive immune response by the host to the live TSO product, which might result in a greater loss of organisms than would have been the case with a lower dose, potentially resulting in a reduction in therapeutic effect.
- There is also uncertainly about the pH of the solution used to store the TSO product used in this trial since there is no mention of the formulation’s details in the published paper. If a pH any higher than the 2.4 that was used successfully in the early Tuft’s trials was employed in this later study, this would cast further doubt on the reliability of the conclusions drawn by its authors. (See: Problems with clinical trials using live helminths, below.) The study's supervising author has been approached for clarification on the product's pH.
Problems with clinical trials using live helminths[edit | edit source]
Randomised controlled trials] (RCTs) are considered to be the "gold standard" experimental method for assessing medical treatments, but the evidence produced by many of the RCTs that have looked at the efficacy of helminthic therapy has been starkly at odds with the many independent lines of evidence that have converged to demonstrate the significant health benefits of hosting helminths.
An extensive body of data from epidemiologic studies, clinical observations, and investigations using animal models, has pointed very clearly to the idea that humans need exposure to helminths in order to enjoy optimal immune function, [18] and many hundreds of reports by helminthic therapy self-treaters that are featured in this wiki and elsewhere attest to the therapeutic benefits of re-worming. [19]
So why is there such a chasmic divergence between the results from the majority of RCTs and the evidence from other sources of data? One possible explanation has been put forward by a team of socio-medical researchers.

Trials of pig whipworm ova (TSO)[edit | edit source]
The first helminth to be systematically investigated by researchers was TSO, the ova of the pig whipworm, Trichuris suis, and results from early trials of TSO carried out in the first few years of the 21st century were very encouraging. [21] [22] [23] But a raft of twelve trials carried out by a different research team between 2008 and 2017, to investigate the effect of TSO in five diseases, produced such universally lacklustre results that all but three of them were discontinued prematurely. [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]
The researchers involved in this unprecedented project made two critical errors in their study design, the first of which was to use a trial length of only 12 weeks. While this is the standard trial period used in pharmaceutical research, it is not appropriate for studies of live helminths such as TSO, which typically only begins to deliver benefits after 8 weeks, and remission only after 20 weeks, with even longer waits experienced by some patients with severe or chronic disease.
Arguably the most critical mistake was the use of a novel TSO formulation with a pH of 5.0, even though the investigators were advised against this by the product’s manufacturer, who knew from his own product development work that TSO is most effective when formulated with a pH of 2.4, the formulation used in the earlier, more successful trials. [36] (No abstract | Full text PDF)
Other significant errors in the design of these trials included the use of a single dose size for all participants, when it is known that the helminth dosage requirements of individuals can vary by as much as a factor of 10. Poor subject selection was also revealed by the high rate of improvement in the placebo group in some of the trials.
With so few clinical trials of helminthic therapy having been carried out previously, the sheer number of these “failed” studies overwhelmed the existing helminthic therapy research base to deliver a body blow to the therapy’s reputation that set back progress by at least 20 years. The number of published scientific papers relating to helminthic therapy, which had climbed steadily from just 5 in 2000 to peak at almost 100 during 2017, fell into a steep decline after this, as scientists lost interest in therapy using living worms.
Other researchers began referencing the twelve TSO trials in support of assertions that this species is ineffective as a therapeutic agent. For example, four of these trials were included in a meta-analysis of six studies which concluded that TSO therapy showed no statistical benefit for IBD patients. [37] Apart from the issues with the product's pH, only one of the trials reviewed in this analysis had lasted for longer than 12 weeks, and the remit of that particular study was only to assess the safety and tolerability (not efficacy) of a single dose of TSO.
Trialing the human hookworm (NA)[edit | edit source]
TSO is not the only living helminth to have failed to impress when tested using methods that were developed to assess the efficacy of pharmaceutical products.
In 2007, Correale and Farez had revealed that patients with multiple sclerosis who were hosting a variety of helminths, including hookworms, experienced a reduced number of disease exacerbations compared with patients who were helminth-free. [38] And socio-medical research has shown that NA is extremely effective in the treatment of MS, with a success rate of approximately 50% for the progressive form of the disease and more than 90% for relapsing-remitting MS. (PDF)
However, when researchers at Nottingham University carried out a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial in which patients with RRMS were experimentally colonised by the hookworm, Necator americanus (NA), they concluded that this helminth appeared to be ineffective against this disease because the particular statistical endpoint determined for the trial had not been reached, [39] even though the data revealed that more than half the patients given NA had not developed any new lesions. [40]
In order to avoid repeating the design errors made by the teams responsible for previous trials, future studies exploring the therapeutic potential of NA need to take into account the following issues.
- 1. For any form of helminthic therapy to be effective, it is essential to maintain continuing exposure to the selected organism. Unfortunately, the period of survival of a helminth varies considerably between individual hosts, and the experience of self-treaters has shown that, in the case of NA, survival of the organism ranges from several years to as little as two months. (See Hookworm lifespan.)
- 2. There is more than a 10-fold difference in the level of helminth dosing required to achieve disease remission in different human hosts. Until such time as there are tests capable of providing guidance about the extent of dosing that might be required by each individual, determination of the optimum dosing regimen (the number of larvae in, and the intervals between, each dose) will require the employment by each self-treater of an individualised dose-finding protocol, which can be a lengthy process in the case of NA. (See Long-term dosing is based on individual user experience.)
- 3. The benefits derived from hosting NA can take a long time to develop in some cases. While some benefits may appear within weeks, these do not become consistent until at least 12 weeks, and more typically only appear between 3 and 6 months after the initial inoculation. In a few cases, benefits can take up to two years before making their first appearance, and there have even been rare cases in which clear benefits only appeared during the third year. (See Consistent improvement can begin anytime from 3 to 24 months.)
- How the above three factors relate to the therapeutic use of NA is explained in detail on the Hookworm dosing and response page of this wiki.
- 4. A further factor that can limit the extent of any therapeutic benefit produced by NA is the potential for certain substances to adversely affect, or even kill, this organism in some individuals. Exactly how it is affected in this way is explained in the Human helminth care manual.
- To take the example of oregano, some NA hosts who ingest this herb may experience reduced benefit from their helminths, possibly even losing their entire colony if they eat a sufficiently large quantity of the plant, consume a concentrated extract or tincture of oregano, or take an oregano oil supplement.
- A more complex situation is found with coconut products, some of which are harmless to NA, while others have been reported to have caused varying levels of harm up to, and including, the total eradication of entire colonies.
- Beyond being dependent on the form in which the substance is encountered, and the dose level, the adverse effect of such substances differs widely between hosts. Users of NA are therefore advised to avoid these, and a few other substances, until they are seeing clear and consistent benefits from the therapy, and then to begin gradually to reintroduce them to assess any effects. This way, the hookworm self-treater is able to learn which, if any, of the potentially risky foods, drugs and other substances they might need to avoid in the long term.
- 5. The viability of NA larvae has been shown to decrease rapidly over time from a mean of 85% to < 70% within 14 days. [41] Larval age is therefore another crucial variable that needs to be taken into consideration in future clinical trials, and may perhaps explain some of the inconsistencies in previously reported studies.
Citizen scientists lead the way[edit | edit source]
Unless the scientists conducting trials to investigate the effects of hosting helminths are able to devise methods to assess them as living organisms rather than pharmaceutical products, and to take into account the unique and dynamic nature of each individual helminth/host relationship, it is likely that clinical trials will continue to fail to reflect the reality regarding helminthic therapy. Until then, the best evidence will continue to come from the collated experience of self-treaters, as documented extensively in this wiki.
