title: Probiotics and food allergy.
abstract: The exact prevalence of food allergy in the general population is unknown, but almost 12% of pediatric population refers a suspicion of food allergy. IgE mediated reactions to food are actually the best-characterized types of allergy, and they might be particularly harmful especially in children. According to the "hygiene hypothesis" low or no exposure to exogenous antigens in early life may increase the risk of allergic diseases by both delaying the development of the immune tolerance and limiting the Th2/Th1 switch. The critical role of intestinal microbiota in the development of immune tolerance improved recently the interest on probiotics, prebiotics, antioxidants, polyunsaturated fatty acid, folate and vitamins, which seem to have positive effects on the immune functions.Probiotics consist in bacteria or yeast, able to re-colonize and restore microflora symbiosis in intestinal tract. One of the most important characteristics of probiotics is their safety for human health. Thanks to their ability to adhere to intestinal epithelial cells and to modulate and stabilize the composition of gut microflora, probiotics bacteria may play an important role in the regulation of intestinal and systemic immunity. They actually seem capable of restoring the intestinal microbic equilibrium and modulating the activation of immune cells.Several studies have been recently conducted on the role of probiotics in preventing and/or treating allergic disorders, but the results are often quite contradictory, probably because of the heterogeneity of strains, the duration of therapy and the doses administered to patients. Therefore, new studies are needed in order to clarify the functions and the utility of probiotics in food allergies and ion other types of allergic disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Pediatric Science, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Castellazzi
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valsecchi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caimmi
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Licari
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marseglia
authors.forename: Maria Chiara
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Leoni
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caimmi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miraglia del Giudice
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leonardi
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: La Rosa
authors.forename: Gian Luigi
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Marseglia
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000097:blood; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D007073:Immunoglobulin E
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Oct;122(4):788-794
references.pmid: 18762327
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1997 Feb;99(2):179-85
references.pmid: 9042042
references.citation: Clin Infect Dis. 2008 Feb 1;46 Suppl 2:S104-11; discussion S144-51
references.pmid: 18181712
references.citation: Dig Liver Dis. 2006 Dec;38 Suppl 2:S288-90
references.pmid: 17259093
references.citation: Gastroenterology. 2004 Feb;126(2):520-8
references.pmid: 14762789
references.citation: Ital J Pediatr. 2010 Jan 15;36:5
references.pmid: 20205781
references.citation: Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2012 Jan;8(1):17-9
references.pmid: 22149335
references.citation: J Clin Gastroenterol. 2010 Sep;44 Suppl 1:S22-5
references.pmid: 20562632
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 May;131(5):1288-96.e3
references.pmid: 23498595
references.citation: Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 1997 May;8(2):53-8
references.pmid: 9617774
references.citation: Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2011 Nov 10;7 Suppl 1:S7
references.pmid: 22166142
references.citation: Ital J Pediatr. 2012 Sep 14;38:43
references.pmid: 22980517
references.citation: Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2011 Oct;24(4 Suppl):29-32
references.pmid: 22032784
references.citation: Br J Nutr. 2012 Jul 14;108(1):130-9
references.pmid: 21996276
references.citation: Pediatr Int. 2011 Aug;53(4):505-10
references.pmid: 21105963
references.citation: Cell Microbiol. 2005 Mar;7(3):403-14
references.pmid: 15679843
references.citation: Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2006 Aug;17(5):364-9
references.pmid: 16846455
references.citation: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2012 Apr;108(4):285-6
references.pmid: 22469454
references.citation: Allergy Asthma Proc. 2007 Jul-Aug;28(4):410-7
references.pmid: 17883908
references.citation: Allergol Int. 2009 Dec;58(4):457-66
references.pmid: 19847094
references.citation: Lancet. 2001 Apr 7;357(9262):1076-9
references.pmid: 11297958
references.citation: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2008 Dec;101(6):570-9
references.pmid: 19119700
references.citation: Pediatrics. 2008 Apr;121(4):e850-6
references.pmid: 18332075
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2001 Jan;107(1):129-34
references.pmid: 11150002
references.citation: J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2012 Jan-Mar;26(1 Suppl):S41-8
references.pmid: 22691249
references.citation: Immunol Rev. 2007 Feb;215:243-53
references.pmid: 17291293
references.citation: Pediatr Res. 2007 Aug;62(2):215-20
references.pmid: 17597643
references.citation: Clin Exp Allergy. 2009 Dec;39(12):1801-14
references.pmid: 20085596
references.citation: Allergy. 2008 Apr;63 Suppl 86:8-160
references.pmid: 18331513
references.citation: Allergy. 2002 Nov;57(11):1048-52
references.pmid: 12359002
references.citation: Eur J Clin Microbiol. 1985 Jun;4(3):273-8
references.pmid: 3894015
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010 Dec;126(6 Suppl):S1-58
references.pmid: 21134576
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Apr;119(4):1019-21
references.pmid: 17289135
references.citation: Allergy Asthma Proc. 1997 Jul-Aug;18(4):245-8
references.pmid: 9270887
references.citation: Clin Exp Allergy. 2009 Apr;39(4):518-26
references.pmid: 19220322
references.citation: Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 1999 May-Aug;12(2):97-102
references.pmid: 12783652
references.citation: Annu Rev Med. 2009;60:261-77
references.pmid: 18729729
references.citation: Pharmacol Res. 2010 Mar;61(3):219-25
references.pmid: 19914380
references.citation: Med Clin North Am. 2006 Jan;90(1):97-127
references.pmid: 16310526
references.citation: Annu Rev Nutr. 2006;26:539-65
references.pmid: 16602930
references.citation: Br J Nutr. 2012 Jan;107(1):1-6
references.pmid: 21787448
references.citation: Trends Parasitol. 2012 Mar;28(3):93-8
references.pmid: 22257556
references.citation: Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2004 Aug;134(4):288-94
references.pmid: 15205560
references.citation: Nutr Rev. 2008 Apr;66(4):192-202
references.pmid: 18366533
references.citation: Immunology. 2008 Feb;123(2):197-208
references.pmid: 17655740
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010 Feb;125(2 Suppl 2):S116-25
references.pmid: 20042231
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Jan;121(1):116-121.e11
references.pmid: 18206506
references.citation: J Clin Gastroenterol. 2004 Jul;38(6 Suppl):S84-5
references.pmid: 15220666
references.citation: Clin Exp Allergy. 1999 Mar;29(3):342-6
references.pmid: 10202341
references.citation: Clin Exp Allergy. 2010 Sep;40(9):1398-405
references.pmid: 20604800
references.citation: Allergy Asthma Proc. 2006 Nov-Dec;27(6):451-5
references.pmid: 17176778
references.citation: Scand J Immunol. 2008 Apr;67(4):370-6
references.pmid: 18248528
references.citation: Pharmacol Res. 2011 May;63(5):366-76
references.pmid: 21349334
references.citation: Folia Microbiol (Praha). 2008;53(3):255-8
references.pmid: 18661304
references.citation: J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2012 Jan-Mar;26(1 Suppl):S85-93
references.pmid: 22691255
references.citation: Allergy. 2011 Apr;66(4):499-508
references.pmid: 21058959
references.citation: Immunol Invest. 2007;36(4):413-21
references.pmid: 17691023
references.citation: Nat Rev Immunol. 2003 Apr;3(4):331-41
references.pmid: 12669023
references.citation: Lancet. 2001 Dec 1;358(9296):1871-2
references.pmid: 11741628
references.citation: Clin Exp Allergy. 2008 Aug;38(8):1342-8
references.pmid: 18477013
references.citation: Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2012 May;23(3):255-8
references.pmid: 22136660
references.citation: Eur J Immunol. 2004 May;34(5):1371-80
references.pmid: 15114670
references.citation: Br J Dermatol. 2012 Jan;166(1):129-36
references.pmid: 21895621
references.citation: Lancet. 2007 May 12;369(9573):1578-80
references.pmid: 17499582
references.citation: Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Jun;13(3):280-6
references.pmid: 23594506
references.citation: J Biomed Biotechnol. 2011;2011:473097
references.pmid: 21660136
references.citation: Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2011 Oct;24(4 Suppl):33-40
references.pmid: 22032785
references.citation: Clin Dev Immunol. 2012;2012:485750
references.pmid: 21961022
references.citation: Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2011 Oct-Dec;24(4):1037-48
references.pmid: 22230409
references.citation: J Clin Gastroenterol. 2012 Oct;46 Suppl:S69-72
references.pmid: 22955363
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Feb;123(2):335-41
references.pmid: 19135235
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Sep;120(3):638-46
references.pmid: 17628647
references.citation: Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2002 Oct;13(5):357-60
references.pmid: 12431195
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 May;119(5):1174-80
references.pmid: 17349686
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jan;119(1):192-8
references.pmid: 17208601
references.citation: Pediatr Clin North Am. 2011 Apr;58(2):363-76, ix-x
references.pmid: 21453807
references.citation: J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004 May;113(5):805-19; quiz 820
references.pmid: 15131561
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Feb 22;102(8):2880-5
references.pmid: 15710900
references.citation: J Food Prot. 2008 Aug;71(8):1734-41
references.pmid: 18724773
references.citation: Clin Nutr. 2010 Dec;29(6):701-25
references.pmid: 20576332
references.citation: Allergy. 2001 Sep;56(9):813-24
references.pmid: 11551246
references.citation: Clin Exp Allergy. 2012 Jan;42(1):112-22
references.pmid: 22092692