Random Fact #49

Parasitic infection causes an immune response in the body to help combat the invader. In Canada and the US parasite infection are very rare and therefore we do not have the heightened immune response.  It is thought that some diseases like irritable bowel syndrome and some food allergies are because we do not have this immune memory, caused by fighting the parasite.  This is now opening the idea to purposefully infect a person with a weakened parasite in hope that the body will kill the parasite and up their own immune response.