PASTURE: Protection against allergy: study in rural environments

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 01.0592-2

Key words (English)

Environmental Protection; Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Safety

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK4-CT-2001-00250

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.4 Environment and health

Short description (English)

See abstract

Abstract (English)

In animals substantial prevention of allergy can be achieved by inhalation of microbial products. It is unknown whether such findings can be brought forward to humans, but findings in farmers' children raised in environments rich in microbial matter suggest that these children constitute an ideal 'natural' model to study these relations in humans. Recent retrospective surveys clearly indicated that exposures must occur in pregnancy and the first year of life to confer significant protection, resulting in very low prevalence's of asthma (0.8% vs. 11.8%), hay fever (0.8% vs. 16.0%) and atop (8.2% vs 32.9%) as compared to non-exposed children. The project therefore focuses on early life exposures to indoor microbial matter in prospective study design. A multidisciplinary approach is taken to study immunological and genetic mechanisms determining the strong protective effects, which will allow the development of novel preventive strategies.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 01.0592-2