Dogs protect children from asthma

Dogs in the household protect against asthma

06/20/2012

Dogs in the family household seem to be able to protect children from asthma. According to a study by researchers from the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF), this positive effect is caused by the typical amount of dog dust. Obviously, the dust protects the animals from specific viruses that are suspected of causing asthma.

A dog in the house can protect children from asthma, according to a study by US scientists. The dust caused by the animals protects, according to results from infections with specific cold viruses. The viruses of the strain „Respiratory syncytial virus (RS virus) cause a higher risk of childhood asthma. On Tuesday, the results of the investigation at the symposium of the „US Society of Microbiology“ presented in San Francisco.

Infants are more likely to suffer from RS virus infections. Physicians around Kei Fujimura and colleagues at the University of California at San Francisco have exposed mice with household dog dust in a pilot setup. For comparison, rodents whose cages were dust-free were also examined during the same period. It was found that the relative risk of a chronic inflammatory bronchial asthma in animals with house dust could be reduced from housing with dogs. Because „The mice developed significantly less RSV cold infections in the course of time“, so the research team.

Defenses by bacteria in the dust
In addition, the scientists observed that the composition of the gastric bacteria changed. This circumstance leads now to the assumption that germs from the dust of the dog dwellings penetrated into the digestive tract of the animals and triggered corresponding immune reactions. As a result, the defenses were probably mobilized and „created an immune protection against the viruses“, so the resume of the researchers. The exact circumstances will be investigated in further studies. Another study found that dogs and cats lower the average allergy risk. (Sb)

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