Nutritional Regulation of Anti-Helminth Immunity:  Interactions Between Diet Composition, Gut Microbiota, and Immune Training

PhD defence by Alexandra Soraya G L von Münchow

Assessment Committee

Associate professor Louise von Gersdorff Jørgensen, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Associate professor Tina Sørensen Dalgaard, Aarhus University/Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Professor Preben Boysen, Norwegian University of Life Sciences/Immunology Unit

Supervisors

Associate Professor Andrew Richard Williams
Stig Milan Thamsborg

Department

Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences

Graduate Programme

Immunology and Infectious Diseases

Place

Building: 1-01, Room: A1-01.01 (Festauditoriet), Bülowsvej 17, 1870, Frederiksberg C

Email address to gain access to the thesis: alexandrasoraya@sund.ku.dk.
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Short description of the thesis

Can dietary composition influence our ability to induce a type-2 immune response? This thesis explores how dietary composition shapes anti‑helminth immunity and parasite resistance in the intestine. Using murine models of helminth infection, I demonstrate that a refined semi‑synthetic diet promotes type‑2 immune responses and improves resistance to infection compared with conventional grain‑based diets. The work further investigates the roles of immune training, gut microbiota, and microbiota‑derived metabolites in mediating these effects. Together, the findings challenge the prevailing view that fiber‑rich diets uniformly benefit gut health and reveal a complex interplay between diet, the intestinal environment, and host immunity.