{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T21:51:35Z","timestamp":1787349095744,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":79,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,27]],"date-time":"2025-02-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740614400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"German West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (GWAC)","award":["57592595"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["57592595"]}]},{"name":"German West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (GWAC)","award":["390873048"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["390873048"]}]},{"name":"Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)","award":["57592595"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["57592595"]}]},{"name":"Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)","award":["390873048"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["390873048"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global health. However, Africa has reported relatively low numbers of cases and fatalities. Although the pandemic has largely receded, the reasons for its milder course on the African continent have not yet been fully clarified. This study explored the hypothesis that helminth co-infections may have contributed to these observations. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using 104 plasma samples collected during the third wave of the pandemic in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Luminex assays were used to measure SARS-CoV-2-specific IgA and IgG, neutralizing antibodies, systemic cytokines and helminth-specific IgG. Results: The results indicated that the highest cumulative seroprevalence of helminths (61.5%) was observed in asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. In comparison, mild and moderate patients had helminth seropositivity rates of 43.8% and 34.5%, respectively, which were 1.4 and 1.8 times lower than those of the asymptomatic group, respectively. Notably, the two severe COVID-19 cases investigated were seronegative for all three of the helminths tested. Strikingly, co-exposure resulted in lower SARS-CoV-2-specific IgA\/IgG expression and reduced neutralization potential. However, co-seropositive individuals for helminths and SARS-CoV-2 exhibited a higher expression of Th2 cytokines and IL-10 over Th1 cytokines compared to SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals alone. Conclusion: These data suggest that co-exposure to helminths could mitigate the severity of COVID-19 outcomes by reducing the Th1 and Th17 responses; this highlights the potential protective role of helminthiasis against severe COVID-19. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of public health policies in helminth-endemic regions and underscore the importance of considering helminth co-infections in managing viral infections. It also offers a plausible explanation for the milder disease severity observed in helminth-endemic regions while raising critical considerations regarding vaccine efficacy, as helminth-induced immune modulation may influence the magnitude and quality of vaccine-induced immune responses.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines13030252","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,28]],"date-time":"2025-02-28T02:48:37Z","timestamp":1740710917000},"page":"252","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Helminth Seropositivity Inversely Correlated with Th1 and Th17 Cytokines and Severe COVID-19"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Brice Armel Nembot","family":"Fogang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany"},{"name":"Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"German West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC), Kumasi 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julia","family":"Meyer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Linda B.","family":"Debrah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"German West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC), Kumasi 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Owusu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"German West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC), Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"Department of Medical Diagnostics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0884-9645","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George","family":"Agyei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"German West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC), Kumasi 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8972-1757","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Derrick Adu","family":"Mensah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Royal Ann College of Health, Kumasi P.O. Box KS 6253, Ghana"},{"name":"Department of Public Health Education, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi P.O Box 1277, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1309-2840","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"John","family":"Boateng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"German West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC), Kumasi 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jubin Osei","family":"Mensah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"Department of Pathobioogy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ute","family":"Klarmann-Schulz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany"},{"name":"Bonn-Cologne Site, German Center for Infectious Disease Research (DZIF), Bonn, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7965-5728","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sacha","family":"Horn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit\u00e4t Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Inge","family":"Kroidl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit\u00e4t Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany"},{"name":"Munich Site, German Center for Infectious Disease Research (DZIF), Munich, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7491-5420","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ezekiel Bonwin","family":"Ackah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Diagnostics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Richard O.","family":"Phillips","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7691-914X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Augustina","family":"Sylverken","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexander Y.","family":"Debrah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"German West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC), Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8671-3831","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Achim","family":"Hoerauf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany"},{"name":"German West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention (G-WAC), Kumasi 00233, Ghana"},{"name":"Bonn-Cologne Site, German Center for Infectious Disease Research (DZIF), Bonn, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tomabu","family":"Adjobimey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany"},{"name":"Facult\u00e9 des Sciences et Techniques (FAST), Universit\u00e9 d\u2019Abomey Calavi, Abomey Calavi 05 BP 1604, Benin"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100042","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sintl.2020.100042","article-title":"Global Impacts of Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: Focus on Socio-Economic Consequences","volume":"1","author":"Mishra","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sens. 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