DOES HELMINTH INFECTION AFFECT MENTAL PROCESSING AND EDUCATIONAL-ACHIEVEMENT

In this article, Catherine Nokes and Donald Bundy reexamine the evidence linking intestinal helminth infection to impaired cognitive function and educational outcomes. They consider first the evidence that implies a connection between intellectual dysfunction and the sequelae of infection, then the significance of correlations between infection and poor mental status, and finally the evidence from case-control and double-blind intervention studies. The article is not intended as a comprehensive summary of all the research on helminth infection and mental function - indeed the majority of research undertaken in the early part of this century is not included - but rather as a thought provoking article to highlight the difficulties with interpreting existing data and to stimulate new interest in this field.