Bad for Tummy, Good for Lungs

Introduction

The bug that gives stomach grief-Helicobacter pylori-may help breathe easy. A study has found that the infection with the gastric bacteria protects against allergy-induced asthma. It also confirms that the increase in allergic diseases in industrialised nations is linked to vanishing microorganisms that populate the human body. H pylori is resistant to gastric acid.

But is killed with antibiotics. The researchers infected mice with H pylori and found it triggers accumulation of T-cells, crucial for the suppression of asthma. Journal of Clinical Investigation,

Source

Down To Earth, August 2011