Do intestinal nematodes affect productivity in adulthood?

Intestinal nematode infections have been associated with many physical and mental developmental insults. These include anaemia, wasting, stunting, cognitive impairment and lowered educational achievement, all of which have in turn been shown to interfere with productivity and wage-earning capacity in adults. Although there is no direct evidence for an effect of intestinal nematodes on productivity, circumstantial evidence suggests such an effect. Here, Helen Guyatt reviews the indirect evidence for an effect of intestinal nematodes on productivity in adults through current infection and associated morbidity, and on early ill-health in children, which might affect productivity later in life.