How farm life can prevent allergies
Component of dairy dust turns on anti-inflammatory enzyme in mouse lungs
By Meghan Rosen
Preventing many allergies could be as simple as taking a breath — of farm dust.
Dust from dairy farms switches on an anti-inflammatory enzyme in the lung cells of mice, researchers report in the Sept. 4 Science. The enzyme keeps the immune system from overreacting to common allergens, such as house dust mites, the team found.
It’s the first time researchers have pinned down a specific molecule that explains how farm dust can prevent allergies, says immunologist Donata Vercelli of the University of Arizona in Tucson. “This won’t be the end of the story, but it’s certainly a good beginning,” she says.