ArticleEBioMedicine2017
Opening a Can of Worms: Leprosy Reactions and Complicit Soil-Transmitted Helminths.
Article in EBioMedicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluating the risk of dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome in Nepalese Leprosy Patients via HLA-B* 13:01 screening using real-time PCR and comparative meta-analysis of international data.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review of adverse effects associated with systemic corticosteroids in the management of leprosy.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Pooled it
- Longitudinal assessment of anti-PGL-I serology in contacts of leprosy patients in Bangladesh.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2017Trial
- Dovramilast for Erythema Nodosum Leprosum in Patients With Leprosy in Nepal: Protocol for a Phase 2 Open-Label Pilot Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Seroprevalence ofThe Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2026Article
- Serological Evidence of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections as a Potential Risk for Severity in Leprosy Patients.Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH · 2025Article
- Article
- Investigating the role of soil-transmitted helminth infections in the development of leprosy in endemic regions.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- The Many Hosts of Mycobacteria 9 (MHM9): A conference report.Tuberculosis (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2023Article
- Bacterial, fungal and parasitic co-infections in leprosy: A scoping review.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- Pathogenicity and virulence ofVirulence · 2022Review
- Susceptibility and resistance in leprosy: Studies in the mouse model.Immunological reviews · 2021Review
- The Many Hosts of Mycobacteria 8 (MHM8): A conference report.Tuberculosis (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2020Review
- Household Contacts of Leprosy Patients in Endemic Areas Display a Specific Innate Immunity Profile.Frontiers in immunology · 2020Article
- Whole blood RNA signatures in leprosy patients identify reversal reactions before clinical onset: a prospective, multicenter study.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- The Burden of Helminth Coinfections and Micronutrient Deficiencies in Patients with and without Leprosy Reactions: A Pilot Study in Minas Gerais, Brazil.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2019Article
- Application of new host biomarker profiles in quantitative point-of-care tests facilitates leprosy diagnosis in the field.EBioMedicine · 2019Article
- Detection of Mycobacterium leprae DNA in soil: multiple needles in the haystack.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Vaccines for Leprosy and Tuberculosis: Opportunities for Shared Research, Development, and Application.Frontiers in immunology · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
background>94% of new annual leprosy cases are diagnosed in populations co-endemic for soil-transmitted helminths (STH). STH can profoundly dysregulate host immune responses towards Th2 bias, which can be restored over time after deworming. We hypothesize that STH co-infection is associated with leprosy reaction (denoted as simply "reaction" herein) occurrence within a co-endemic population.
methodsA cohort study was performed on a cohort of Nepalese leprosy patients across treatment and diagnostic classifications who were screened by routine fecal smear microscopy and multiplex quantitative PCR (qPCR) for Ascaris lumbricoides (Al), Strongyloides stercoralis (Ss), Ancyclostoma duodenale (Ad) and Necator americanus (Na).
resultsAmong 145 patients, 55% were positive for ≥1 STH (STH+): 34% Al+, 18% Ss+, 17% Ad+and 5% Na+. Significant inverse STH and reaction relationships were evidenced by the bulk of cases: 63% reaction-negative were STH+ of total cases (p=0.030) while 65% reaction-positive were STH- in new cases (96; p=0.023). Strikingly, the majority of STH+ were reaction-negative, even when considering each species: 59% Al+, 60% Ss+, 62% Ad+and 67% Na+of new leprosy cases.
conclusionsAbsence of STH co-infection is associated with leprosy reaction at diagnosis within a co-endemic population. This is likely due to immune reconstitution effects after deworming or interruption of chronic STH-mediated immune dysregulation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.