Orally ingested ova of Trichuris suis, the porcine whipworm, has been found to be active in an open-label study of Crohn’s disease, and in a small scale, placebo-controlled trial in patients with ulcerative colitis.
Inflammatory bowel diseases are diseases of the affluent society. Many trials have shown that infection with parasitic worms is protective. Intestinal helminths induce Th2 cytokine release and specifically down regulate Th1 responsiveness
Administering eggs from the porcine whipworm T. suis to patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis is a safe and possibly effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disease according to a report published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. In the open-label trial, 29 patients with refractory disease, and a Crohn’s disease activity index (CDAI) of 220 to 450, ingested 2,500 T. suis ova in a beverage every three weeks for 24 weeks. By week 12, 22 patients (75.9%) experienced a decrease in CDAI of more than 100 points, or had a CDAI of less than 150. Another 18 patients (62.1%) were in remission. (Four patients withdrew early because of disease activity or pregnancy.) They observed no adverse effects or complications. In the treatment a single dose of 2500 live T. suis eggs are given orally.
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