The Rate of the Brain Growth and Development in Soil-

Transmitted Helminthiases

1
Anita Margaret Wibisono and 2Yudha Nurdian
1
Student, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jember, Indonesia
2
Faculty of Medicine, University of Jember, Indonesia
Corresponding: Anita M. W., anitamargaretw@gmail.com; 152010101131@students.unej.ac.id

Abstract
Background
The soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are a group of intestinal parasites belonging to the
phylum Nematoda that are transmitted primarily through contaminated soil. In addition, STH
are often associated with anemia, malnutrition and growthstunting, chronic pain, exercise
intolerance, and diarrhea indicating a need for better methods of conceptualizing and
estimating the total disease burden. STH and their human hosts evolved together, and there is
some evidence that parasites may have conferred some benefits to their hosts in terms of
reduced allergic reactions to environmental contaminants, particularly in the case of asthma,
but the fact remains that there must be energetic costs, resources may be allocated to immune
functions to fight the invader, and the rate of brain growth and development that should occur
at the time of an infestation might decrease or be restricted as a result. As depicted, nutrition
is not the only pathway: inflammation and therefore cytokine action may affect brain function
and therefore behavior directly. Cytokines have functions in the regulation of the
proliferation and growth of nerve cells and modulate the response to infection, injury,
inflammation, and idiopathic disease. Cytokines have a role in the development of neurology
and play a role in brain function. The number of cytokines play roles in neurogenesis,
synaptic maturation and brain development. Overexpression and deficiency of cytokines may
affect the pathology and physiology of the hippocampus associated with memory. Excessive
amounts of cytokines will cause hyperactivity from microglia located in brain cells that are
toxic and damaging brain cells.

Conclusion
This text explains how could soil-transmitted helminthiases affect the rate of brain growth
and development because of inflmmation and therefore cytokine action may affect brain
function and therefore behavior directly. Excessive amounts of cytokines will cause
hyperactivity from microglia located in brain cells that are toxic and damaging brain cells.

Reference
Kvalsvig, J. and Albonico, M. 2013. Effects of Geohelminth Infections on Neurological
Development. In: Aminoff, M. J., Boller, F. and Swaab, D. F. (Eds.). Handbook of Clinical
Neurology, Vol. 114, Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 369-379.