This conversation was led by Dr. Tara Cepon-Robins, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs & Dr. Theresa Gildner, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis Interactions with parasites and other symbiotes (i.e., micro- and macroorganisms, including bacteria and parasites, that can be pathogenic, commensal, or mutually beneficial) were a key feature of human evolution, shaping immune function. Currently, many people around the world living in wealthy nations face reduced exposure to these organisms that were common in ancestral human environments, creating a proposed evolutionary mismatch often referred to as the Old Friends Hypothesis. This hypothesis states that if populations encounter fewer evolutionarily relevant immune-priming symbionts, then they may ultimately experience increased risk of immune dysregulation, allergies, asthma, and autoimmune conditions. Problematically, little work has been done to understand the state of this mismatch among low-resource communities within high-income nations, where current exposure patterns and downstream effects of these evolutionarily relevant symbiotes are unknown. Here, we present preliminary data collected as part of the Rural Embodiment and Community Health (REACH) Study. This project is one of the first studies to (re)examine intestinal infection patterns in low-resource areas of the United States. We focus on infections with intestinal parasites (soil-transmitted helminths, protozoa) and the bacteria Helicobacter pylori due to their evolutionary relevance within the Old Friends Hypothesis, assessing health outcomes of infection, as well as specific lifestyle factors that contribute to exposure.
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