Scientists have recently found that infection with a particular species of roundworm enhances female fertility and reduces fetus rejection in a significant way. The Tsimanes are an indigenous population of lowland Bolivia. Tsimane women are known to be probably most fertile in the world having 9-10 children on average in their lifetime or maybe some more. In a study involving 986 women in this community over nine years, researchers from the University of California at Santa Barbara discovered that it may have to do something very unusual: a parasitic infection.
About 70% of them are infected with a species of roundworm called Ascaris lumbricoides . Women who were chronically infected with roundworm had as many as 10-12 children. Infection with roundworm was associated with earlier first births and shortened interbirth intervals. In contrast infection with hookworm just cause the…
