Asthma--An Epidemic in the Absence of Infection?
- 3 January 1997
- journal article
- editorial
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 275 (5296) , 41-42
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.275.5296.41
Abstract
In a report in this issue of Science , Shirakawa et al . ( p. 77 ) show an inverse relation between exposure to the bacterium that causes tuberculosis and the incidence of asthma, leading to the proposition that childhood infections can protect against later development of asthma and similar allergic reactions. In their Perspective, Cookson and Moffatt explain the immunological basis of this proposition and discuss its implications.Keywords
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Inverse Association Between Tuberculin Responses and Atopic DisorderScience, 1997
- In Th2‐biased lymphatic filarial patients, responses to purified protein derivative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis remain Th1European Journal of Immunology, 1996
- Th1 and Th2 subsets: paradigms lost?Immunology Today, 1995
- Atopic sensitization and respiratory symptoms among Polish and Swedish school childrenClinical and Experimental Allergy, 1994
- A potential vaccine strategy for asthma and allied atopic diseases during early childhoodThe Lancet, 1994
- Increase in asthma: a more toxic environment or a more susceptible population?Thorax, 1994
- Acute Infections in Atopic Dermatitis: A Clue for a Pathogenic Role of a Th1/Th2 Imbalance?Dermatology, 1994
- Effect of anthelmintic treatment on the allergic reactivity of children in a tropical slumJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1993
- Prevalence of asthma and allergic disorders among children in united Germany: a descriptive comparison.BMJ, 1992
- Asthma and IgE levels in rural and urban communities of The GambiaClinical and Experimental Allergy, 1975