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Written By: Agencies | Published : June 21, 2014 5:46 PM IST
A team consisting of 11 institutions from six countries, including BGI, presented the whole-genome sequence of Trichuris suis, a parasitic worm in pig.
Understanding the genetics mechanisms underlying the pig parasite may aid to modify the human immune response that could result in better treatments for autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and multiple sclerosis.(Read: New drug to counter auto-immune diseases)
The human whipworm (Trichuris) infects around 1 billion people worldwide and causes a disease (trichuriasis) that results in major socioeconomic loses.
In contrast, the pig whipworm causes disease and losses in livestock, but it does not cause disease in humans. It's reported that pig whipworm infection could even prevent inflammatory disease in humans, and has been used to treat inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. (Read: Blocking key molecule could prevent auto-immune diseases)
The research is published online in Nature Genetics.
Source: ANI
What are autoimmune diseases?
Autoimmune diseases refer to diseases that occur when the body creates antibodies against its own cells and tissues.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic central nervous system (CNS) disease which affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Even in the absence of symptoms, the disease is continuously active (causing brain damage) from early stages of MS. Read more about Living with Multiple Sclerosis
Lupus is regular name of the autoimmune disease called lupus erythematosus. It occurs when the immune system of your body starts attacking itself or becomes allergic to itself. It kind of over reacts to foreign stimulus and generates a large amount of antibodies which attack different tissues in the body. Read the 8 facts you ought to know about this autoimmune disease - Lupus
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