The results in mice hint that humans might one day have a microbe-based asthma preventative on their hands. But a lot of questions need to be answered before that can happen. For instance, the researchers don't know if a microbe-based treatment like the one used in the study will have a long-lasting effect on humans — or mice for that matter (the asthma-inducing treatment that the mice received is lethal, the researchers say). In addition, the scientists need to figure out if a microbe-based preventative can be safely administered to kids. Taken together, it's clear that any treatment that starts with this study will take a while to develop.