title: Allergy protection by cowshed bacteria - recent findings and future prospects.
abstract: Since the first publication in 1999, numerous epidemiologic studies provided strong evidence that frequent contact to a traditional farm environment in early life protects children from the development of allergic airway diseases. These consistent findings prompted enormous efforts to identify and characterize the potential causative factors and the underlying immunologic mechanisms in experimental studies. The cumulating evidence for the role of the cowshed-associated bacterial flora led to enhanced efforts not only to identify the relevant species but also to examine their specific immunomodulatory capacity, the bacterial components involved, and particularly the cellular and molecular mechanisms of their interaction with the immune system. We review here the methods applied to identify relevant bacterial species, the species which emerged thereof, and the similarities and differences in their mode of action as revealed so far. We further consider the impact of the current knowledge on worthwhile clinical application and reflect on the required next steps to foster the translation of the encouraging scientific progress which has been made in recent years.
authors.affiliation: Protectimmun GmbH, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kauth
authors.affiliation: Division of Innate Immunity, Research Center Borstel, Airway Research Center North (ARCN), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Borstel, Germany.
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Heine
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000391:Air Microbiology; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D002417:Cattle / Q000382:microbiology*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006799:Housing, Animal; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial
keywords: allergic airway disease; allergic sensitization; asthma; cowshed bacteria; innate immunity; prevention; toll-like receptors