Helminth infection during pregnancy: insights from evolutionary ecology

Abstract

Helminths are parasitic nematodes and trematodes, grouped together because of morphological similarities and commonalities in the effects infections have on hosts. These include complications such as anemia and biasing of immune responses, which can alter susceptibility for other diseases. For pregnant women, these complications might have implications for pregnancy outcomes or neonatal health. Here, I review studies of helminth infections during pregnancy, and ask the following questions: Do helminths affect maternal health or pregnancy outcomes? Are there consequences of maternal infection for infants? What are the effects of antihelminth treatment during pregnancy? The evidence suggests that the answers to these questions depend on the particular helminth species in question, maternal nutritional status, and the presence or absence of comorbid infection with other species, such as malaria. Moreover, there may also be unexpected consequences of treatment, as maternal infections can affect the priming of infant immune systems, with potential effects on infants later in life. These complex interactions suggest that a consideration of the evolutionary history of human–helminth interactions, as well as the ecological context of infections, can help to clarify an understanding of these host–parasite interactions and provide direction for future investigations.

The molecular tug of war between immunity and fertility: Emergence of conserved signaling pathways and regulatory mechanisms

“…[ 35,36 ] By the same token, pregnancy ameliorates diseases of chronic inflammation such as Multiple Sclerosis or Rheumatoid Arthritis that are characterized by overwhelming Th17 numbers that attack healthy self‐tissue. [ 37 ] Nevertheless, some autoimmune diseases such as Scleroderma and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus flare during pregnancy. [ 3 ] Inherently low‐inflammation helminth infections are noted to suppress immunity and push the bias of Th2 immune responses in pregnant women even further, causing an array of immununologic effects on mother and fetus and increasing co‐infection risk to other pathogens.…”

The Relationship of Behavior Factors with Helminthiasis Incident on Helminthiasis Infection Disease in Pregnant Mothers in Langkat Regency

“…Worms in pregnancy can result in anemia, malnutrition and bias in the immune response which can alter susceptibility to other diseases. For pregnant women, these complications can affect pregnancy outcomes and neonatal health (Blackwell 2016).…”

Pregnancy, Children and Inter-Relating Factors Affected by Geohelminthiasis

“…The resemblance between the immune reactions to helminths and pregnant females may be a sign that tolerance may be invoked by analogous mechanisms (i.e., type 2 responses). Another suggestion has been that helminths may have undergone self-adaptation in order to combat immune responses from the mother by utilizing the similarity in mechanisms as used by a human fetus [38]. These could have been some among the many reasons a pregnant mother's susceptibility to helminthic attack is widespread.…”