Research on the effects of helminth infection utilizing an IBD-susceptible mouse model (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 [Nod2]-knockout mice) has shown that parasitic Trichuris muris can ameliorate abnormal intestinal barriers (increasing the quality of goblet cells) and alter the balance of commensal and pathogenic bacteria [83,84]. Here, NOD2 is linked to inflammatory bowel disease.