It is postulated that helminth infections are able to protect their hosts from
immune mediated diseases such as allergies and autoimmune diseases, due to strong
parasite-driven immune regulatory processes. The development of helminth-based
therapies is very attractive to treat those pathologies. In this chapter, we will be
reviewing some epidemiological and experimental evidences whereby helminth
infection could protects from immune-mediated diseases, the mechanisms that are
behind this phenomenon as well as the main strategies that have been used by research
groups to develop biological products for treatment and prophylaxis of these
immunopathologies based in mild infection by worms or, more importantly, their
molecules.
