Hookworm larvae are microscopic. But they have little spikes that puncture the skin and allow the larvae to burrow inside you. Then the critters head straight for a capillary. Then the larvae crawl out of the lung through your stomach and into the small intestine — where they bite onto the intestinal wall and start sucking blood — a few drops a day. At that point, the worms do something amazing: They suppress the immune system. The worms don’t shut down the immune system completely — just enough so that the immune cells won’t attack the worm. But this can help with something else. It can keep the immune system from getting out of control and attacking the body.
Could Worms In Your Gut Cure Your Allergies?
