Growing up on a farm provides protection against asthma and allergies

Researchers have successfully established a causal relationship between exposure to farm dust and endotoxin give protection against asthma and allergies. the mechanism behind this: farm dust makes the mucous membrane inside the respiratory tracts react less severely to allergens such as house dust mite. This effect is created by the A20 protein, which the body produces upon contact with farm dust. When we inactivate the A20 protein in the mucous membrane of the lungs, farm dust is no longer able to reduce an allergic or asthmatic reaction. The results showed that people suffering from allergies and asthma have a deficiency in the protective protein A20. This breakthrough discovery is a major step forward towards the development of an asthma vaccine.

Source: VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)

Ref: M. J. Schuijs et al., 2015, Science

DOI: 10.1126/science.aac6623

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