A team of researchers have discovered that exposure to certain bacteria can prevent asthma from developing in a child.
A study reported in Science Translational Medicine has discovered that asthma can be prevented from developing in a child with the help of some "good bacteria."
The BBC reports that using a powerful genetic technique, scientists analyzed 319 children included in the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study.
"We're really excited about this study because we found that children at very high risk of asthma had low levels of four bacteria in their intestines," said Dr. Stuart Turvey of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
The four types of bacteria—Faecalibacterium, Lachnospira, Veillonella, and Rothia (FLVR)—were lacking in the guts of kids at three months, and these kids were at high risk for asthma at age three. This wasn't the same when the kids reached one year, which suggested that the first few months of life are crucial.
Of all the kids involved in the study, 22 were diagnosed to be at high-risk for asthma with the help of early warning signs, such as wheezing. At three months, there were low levels of FLVR in their gut. So far, only eight have been diagnosed with asthma.
"Our ultimate goal is to look to prevent asthma in children and this is the first potential step on that journey wherein we might be able to supplement children with those bacteria. But I want to emphasize this is early days yet," Turvey said.
Prof. Brett Finlay, study co-author, said as per CBC news that the effects of the bacteria in a baby's immune system are unknown, but they do have an impact in animal models. The team tested the FLVR bacteria in healthy mice and found that it improved their airways.
The findings support the "hygiene hypothesis" of how sterilizing everything has its own downsides.
"Maybe we've actually cleaned up things too much in our quest to get rid of all these infectious diseases," Finlay said. "I really do think we have to retool how we behave."
The study authors suggest that exposure to bacteria might help in children's development.
"It's fine to get dirty. It's fine to play with the dog," said Turvey.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asthma is a disease that affects the lungs and causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. There are about 6.8 million children in the U.S. who have asthma.
CBC news adds that one in three Canadians will be diagnosed with asthma, and globally, it affects more than 300 million. It is thought to be caused by a compromised immune system.
