A new study helps shed light on which beneficial bacteria are needed to help train our immune system.
Newborn mice were treated with vancomycin or streptomycin, two antibiotics that each kill certain species of gut bacteria but leave others relatively unaffected. Those treated with streptomycin were much more likely to develop a lung condition that results from being hypersensitive to environmental triggers in dust and mould.
The results suggest that certain strains of gut bacteria are required to “train” the immune system how to deal with foreign substances.
Original research paper published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology on August 18, 2014.
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