Is a helminth always the same as a helminth?

Infections with parasitic worms are often uniformly grouped together as 'helminth infections'. The fact that we are dealing with a highly diverse group of organisms, capable of inducing a wide range of different immune responses seems to be generally forgotten and too many simplified assumptions seem to be made regarding these infections. It is time we start to acknowledge this diversity and change the way we approach the immunology of 'helminth infections'. © 2006 The Authors.