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408 - ‘Farm-like indoor microbiota in non-farm homes protects children from asthma development’. Nature Medicine. 25;1089–1095

Reference Number: 408

Year: 2019

Authors: Kirjavainen P.V. et al

Link: Link to original paper

Health: Asthma

Summary

Asthma prevalence has increased in epidemic proportions with urbanization, but growing up on traditional farms offers protection even today. The asthma-protective effect of farms appears to be associated with rich home dust microbiota, which could be used to model a health-promoting indoor microbiome. Here we show by modeling differences in house dust microbiota composition between farm and non-farm homes of Finnish birth cohorts that in children who grow up in non-farm homes, asthma risk decreases as the similarity of their home bacterial microbiota composition to that of farm homes increases. The protective microbiota had a low abundance of Streptococcaceae relative to outdoor-associated bacterial taxa. The protective effect was independent of richness and total bacterial load and was associated with reduced proinflammatory cytokine responses against bacterial cell wall components ex vivo. We were able to reproduce these findings in a study among rural German children and showed that children living in German non-farm homes with an indoor microbiota more similar to Finnish farm homes have decreased asthma risk. The indoor dust microbiota composition appears to be a definable, reproducible predictor of asthma risk and a potential modifiable target for asthma prevention.

What does this mean for bakers?

This study isn’t strictly relevant for bakers but is part of the overall understanding of the formation of the gut microbiome and the immune system.

Take a look at our courses at The Sourdough School

All reasonable care is taken when advising about health aspects of bread, but the information that we share is not intended to take the place of treatment by a qualified medical practitioner. You must seek professional advice if you are in any doubt about any medical condition. Any application of the ideas and information contained on this website is at the reader's sole discretion and risk.

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