Media Availability: Early Exposure to Certain Bacteria May Protect Toddlers from Wheezing

Media Availability: Early Exposure to Certain Bacteria May Protect Toddlers from Wheezing

NIH Study Suggests Early Exposure to Certain Bacteria May Protect Toddlers from Wheezing

A new study suggests that exposure to specific combinations of allergens and bacteria within the first year of life may protect children from wheezing and allergic disease—two risk factors for developing asthma.

These observations come from the Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA) study, which aims to identify factors responsible for asthma development in children from inner-city settings, where the disease is more prevalent and severe. The latest publication, which appears in the June 6, 2014, online issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, evaluates the group through three years of age.

Read more about the study.