Even worms may have health benefits Porcine Whipworm Ova Safe for Treatment of IBD Sunday 24th May 2009 HCFI: Orally ingested ova of Trichuris suis, the porcine whipworm, has been found to be active in an open-label study of Crohn's disease, and in a small scale, placebo-controlled trial in patients with ulcerative colitis, said Dr KK Aggarwal President Heart Care Foundation of India and Director IMAAKN Sinha Institute. Inflammatory bowel diseases are diseases of the 20th century. These diseases are extremely rare in less developed countries. Many international trials have shown that infection with parasitic worms (helminths) is protective or ameliorating in these conditions, because such infections down-regulate immune responses. Administering eggs from the porcine whipworm Trichuris suis to patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis is a safe and possibly effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disease according to a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. In the open-label trial, 29 patients with refractory disease, ingested 2,500 T. suis ova in a beverage every three weeks for 24 weeks. By week twelve, 25 patients experienced benefit.