Monash University Malaysia's Associate Professor Chow Sek Chuen, an immunotoxicologist, while working on research in UK Medical Research Council in Leicester, on how the immune system reacts to the presence of hookworms in the gut, had found that the immune system was reacting the its presence, but am unable to get rid of it. He and his team of researchers found that the hookworms escape the attack by the immune system by producing secretions to create an area around them which the immune system are unable to penetrate. They also found that the presence of the hookworm triggered an immune reaction that suppresses factors that cause severe allergic reaction like asthma and hay fever.
Assoc. Prof. Chow seem to have confidence in this unusual treatment as he had succeeded to convince a colleague who suffer from severe hay fever to infect himself with hookworms. As a result, his hay fever is cured. His colleague's experience is featured in a documentary produced by BBC. Now Assoc. Prof. Chow is looking for people to conduct clinical trials on the use of hookworms to alleviate severe allergies like asthma.
There may be side effects like malnutrition as the hookworms feed on the blood of the host, but this can easily be overcome by proper nutrition, and the amount of blood taken by the hookworms is miniscule. Also, the hookworms can be easily removed by simple medication.
