Bad synergy

Simultaneous parasite infections act in concert to raise risk of anemia in children

Hookworm and other parasites that strike children can have a synergistic effect that increases the risk of anemia beyond the damage expected from having multiple parasitic infections, a study in the Philippines shows.

Researchers tested 507 children ages 7 to 18 for parasitic worms. Nearly all were infected with at least one, and lab tests delineated mild, moderate and severe infestation based on the number of worm eggs per gram of stool sample.