When was the last time you, your children or anyone you know was treated for worms? If you’re under the age of 40, your likely answer is “Never!”

This is no accident. As a society we have become cleaner and cleaner, more and more antiseptic, more and more hygienic over the last half century.

As we’ve done so, a huge array of microorganisms - worms among them - have silently, and with no fanfare, vanished from our daily environments. Some worms have even gone extinct inside our pets.

Industrialized countries such as the United States began making serious efforts to sanitize their environments in the 19th century. These public health efforts have done more to reduce disease and enhance longevity than any medical intervention before or since.

But scientific evidence increasingly suggests that the victories achieved by cleanliness have come at a significant health cost that is only now beginning to be fully appreciated.

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