MORE BLOOD-SUCKING PARASITES THAT HEAL

A couple of weeks back we learned about the comeback of leeches and maggots into modern surgery. This week a British university will begin an experiment which will use worms for allergy treatment. The experiment will test whether hookworks sucking the blood from the guts of allergy sufferers will be able to prime their immune systems so that they no longer react to allergens such grass, cat dander and dust mites. The allergy-fighting effect of the hookwork parasite was first discovered by accident in African patients and now clinical trials will begin to see if the technique can be used effectively in modern medicince. (New Scientist)