Research higlight

1. Hannah Hankins
Gut bacteria protect mice against food allergies
A class of common gut bacteria (Clostridia) prevents food allergies in mice. A team of researchers led by
Cathryn Nagler, a food allergy professor at the University of Chicago in Illinois, has recently found that
bacteria-free mice or mice with reduced gut bacteria due to antibiotic treatment have strong allergic
reactions to peanut allergens. However, when Clostridia was introduced into the mice, the peanut
allergens were not able to enter the bloodstream to trigger an allergic reaction. These findings suggest that
the increased prevalence of food allergies may be due to disrupting the normal bacterial content of the gut
early in life, for instance by antibiotic use. In the future, Clostridia in the form of a probiotic may be a
treatment option for those suffering with food allergies.
PNAS. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1412008111 (2014)