Scientists to worm out disease from burrowing parasite

Dogs are thought to play a role in the life-cycle of a parasitic worm infecting remote communities. (HANDOUT/AMRRIC)

A new research project is aiming to eliminate a potentially-fatal disease caused by a parasitic roundworm that burrows through the skin into the lungs and gut.

Strongyloidiasis is a tropical disease, endemic in remote Indigenous communities across northern Australia, caused by the parasitic worm strongyloides stercoralis, which thrives in environments with poor sanitation.