The bacteria in a baby's gut might play a big role in preventing an asthma diagnosis later in life, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine today.
The guts of infants who are at high risk for asthma display low levels of four specific bacterial species when they are three months old, scientists have discovered. The finding could lead to a test that can more accurately predict which children might develop asthma, but the upshot of the study is even bigger. The scientists think their study could lead to a microbe-based treatment that might prevent the development of asthma in infants.
Asthma is a long-term lung disease characterized by inflamed and narrow airways. About 18.7 million people in the US suffer from asthma, whereas 300 million suffer from the condition worldwide. Scientists aren't sure what's causing the disease in so many people, but they think the bacteria that lives in the human gut might have something to do with it. A sample of recent studies shows that bacteria found in farm dust can trigger an immune system response in the lungs of mice that may protect them from asthma, whereas babies who are given bacteria-killing antibiotics early in life have a higher risk of developing asthma. But until now, researchers haven't been able to show that gut bacteria really do a play a role in a child's likelihood of developing asthma.
The bacteria in a baby's gut might play a big role in preventing an asthma diagnosis later in life, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine today.The guts of infants who are at high risk for asthma display low levels of four specific bacterial species when they are three months old, scientists have discovered. The finding could lead to a test that can more accurately predict which children might develop asthma, but the upshot of the study is even bigger. The scientists think their study could lead to a microbe-based treatment that might prevent the development of asthma in infants.Asthma is a long-term lung disease characterized by inflamed and narrow airways. About 18.7 million people in the US suffer from asthma, whereas 300 million suffer from the condition worldwide. Scientists aren't sure what's causing the disease in so many people, but they think the bacteria that lives in the human gut might have something to do with it. A sample of recent studies shows that bacteria found in farm dust can trigger an immune system response in the lungs of mice that may protect them from asthma, whereas babies who are given bacteria-killing antibiotics early in life have a higher risk of developing asthma. But until now, researchers haven't been able to show that gut bacteria really do a play a role in a child's likelihood of developing asthma.
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