title: Childhood allergies and asthma: New insights on environmental exposures and local immunity at the lung barrier.
abstract: While certain bacteria and respiratory viruses promote local inflammation and disease onset, a more diverse colonization of the different species in the (gut) microbiome may be linked to more regulatory responses and protection against asthma and allergies. These processes are also influenced in part by food intake, both targeting the composition of the gut microbiome and influencing the immune system via metabolites. Early life environmental microbial exposure also contributes to protection against asthma and allergy and is linked with an early activation of the innate immune system and the development of regulatory immune responses. Although greater mechanistic insight is needed, it is tempting to speculate that part of the environmental effect can be explained by modulation of the microbiome composition at mucosal surfaces, epithelial barrier function and/or local immunity. A review of the latest studies is provided.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. Electronic address: h.h.smits@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: Hermelijn H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Smits
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Luciën Epm
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: van der Vlugt
authors.affiliation: Dr von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Comprehensive Pneumology Centre Munich (CPC-M), Member of the German Center for Lung Research, Germany.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: von Mutius
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pieter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Hiemstra
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens