Holy Name Patients Swallowing Parasitic Eggs to Treat Crohn's Disease

Three patients at Holy Name Medical Center are being treated for Crohn's Disease by ingesting parasitic eggs, NJ.com reported. 

The treatment is part of a national trial studying if pig whipworm eggs can effectively treat Crohn's Disease, a gastrointestinal illness. The disease is caused when a person's immune system attacks harmless intestinal bacteria, which helps in digestion. 

When patients swallow the parasitic eggs, the immune system attacks the eggs rather than going after the harmless bacteria, Karin Hehenberger, an official with Coronado Biosciences said in the report. 

The whipworm reportedly die after about two or three weeks. 

Gastroenterologist Dr. Mitchell Spinnell, who works at Holy Name and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, said the study is still recruiting patients, the website reported. 

Patients at Holy Name haven't complained about the treatments and side effects have been limited to gas, heartburn and bloating, the website reported.