Emma Grierson with her son Eoin, who is severely allergic to nuts. Picture: Calum Robertson Source: The Advertiser

LIFE-THREATENING food allergies are so common among Australian infants, one in 10 is now affected, research shows.

Paediatric allergist and immunologist Susan Prescott says the rate is at epidemic proportions, The Advertiser reported.

"There has also been a five-fold rise in the number of serious anaphylactic reactions in preschoolers to foods in just a 10-year period," she said.

She said it was also concerning that more and more children were not growing out of their allergies and were still affected as teenagers and adults.

Dr Prescott has written a book, The Allergy Epidemic, detailing the suspected reasons for the dramatic increase.

Theories on changing Western society, including increasing hygiene, caesarean births, changing environment, smoking and vitamin D deficiency are all thought to have some impact on the increasing incidence of allergy.

"Allergies are getting worse with every generation and everybody is full of questions about why this is happening," she said.

"They’re wondering what the environmental factors are and what’s going wrong with the immune system."

While there is no simple solution for ending allergies, Dr Prescott – from the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Perth – said research around the world was advancing.

Locally, at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, researchers are embarking on a trial which introduces egg – the most common allergen – into the diet of babies from four months, to see whether it may help build tolerance.

Head of allergy and immunology at the hospital, Associate Professor Mike Gold, said the trial would re-examine the idea of avoiding foods known to cause allergies.

"There are many studies that are looking to see whether exposure early in life is a way of preventing allergies," he said.

The study needs 1000 babies, some of whom will be given egg from four months, while others will not receive egg until eight months.

Dr Prescott said research into early life was invaluable because symptoms can occur within the first weeks of life, and changes in the immune balance can be detected at birth. It is believed allergies can be developed during pregnancy.

She said the immune system becomes confused and has misdirected reactions to harmless foods.

"in essence, we have disturbed the natural balance of our environment and we are now experiencing the impact on our own health," she said.

The World Allergy Organisation estimates up to 40 per cent of the world’s population suffers from one or more allergic diseases like asthma, eczema, hay fever and food allergies.

Dr Prescott says the problem is yet to be widely recognised.

West Croydon mother-of-four Emma Grierson found son Eoin, 3, reacted to eggs and was allergic to nuts, but can eat Nutella.

He is allergic to cladosporium, a common mould found in gardens, and Vegemite and has eczema – an early sign of allergy.

About 18 months ago, he tried a dip which contained cashew nuts.

"within two seconds his lip tripled in size and he couldn’t see out of one of his eyes because it was so swollen," she said.

Anyone willing to participate in the Women’s and Children’s Hospital trial – including expectant mums – should call 8161 8599.

Image: Kimberley Evason University of California, San Francisco

In 2007 parasite immunologist P’ng Loke sat down for lunch at a University of California, San Francisco, cafeteria with a patient who wanted help documenting his medical condition. The two shared an unusual interest: gut worms—specifically, tiny wormlike parasitic organisms called helminths.

Loke’s 35-year-old guest, who declined to be identified for reasons of patient confidentiality, explained that he suffered from an inflammatory bowel disease known as ulcerative colitis. While researching his condition a few years before, the man had read about helminthic therapy, which has not been approved by the FDA but which is a subject of active research by gastroenterologists and parasitologists. The idea is that people with autoimmune disorders can ease their symptoms by deliberately infecting themselves with parasitic worms such as hookworm or whipworm, both of which supposedly pacify the human immune system to survive inside the body. In numerous animal studies, these parasites ostensibly protected rodents from a wide variety of immunological disorders, including colitis, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, food allergies and type 1 diabetes. The man had convinced himself the therapy could work for him, and, since 2004, he had been ingesting whipworm eggs, which he obtained from Thailand. he was now virtually symptom-free. could Loke help him figure out how, if at all, the worms had treated his colitis?

Loke was skeptical at first but agreed. In a recent paper published in Science Translational Medicine, Loke, now at New York University, and his colleagues suggest that the whipworms are indeed effective in treating colitis. Repeated colonoscopies, for example, showed that wherever worms colonized the patient’s  colon, the signs of colitis—open sores and inflammation—were significantly reduced or nonexistent. more important, Loke showed through tissue analysis that the parasites may work by stimulating mucus production in the gut. Colitis, which is associated with decreased mucus production, is thought to occur when the immune system attacks benign bacteria living in the intestines. The extra mucus may help calm the immune system and prevent it from attacking the gut’s harmless microorganisms.

“this is not a double-blind study, but the pattern is highly suggestive that the worms helped this patient,” says Joel Weinstock, a gastroenterologist at Tufts University who has pioneered helminthic therapy research. “The major point of this paper is the potential mechanism—mucus production—which has not been looked at properly before.”