Protective parasites and medicinal microbes? The case for the hygiene hypothesis.
The incidence of allergic conditions continues to increase world wide. The underlying mechanisms and in particular the causes are however poorly understood. This article presents the evidence for the hygiene hypothesis which has been proposed in the debate on the causation of allergic disease.
Gore
C
C
North West Lung Research Centre, Wythenshawe Hospital, Southmoor Road, Manchester M23 9LT, UK. cgore@fs1.with.man.ac.uk
Custovic
A
A