Breathe easy: microbes protect from allergies.

Khosravi, Arya; Mazmanian, Sarkis K · Nat Med · 2012

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Changes in gut microbial composition have been linked to inflammatory bowel disease, obesity and allergies in humans. A new study shows that pattern recognition of commensal bacteria by B cells reduces allergic inflammation in mice, adding to the mounting evidence for the ‘hygiene hypothesis’.

Medical subject headings