The prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases has rapidly increased in “Westernized” countries over recent decades. This rapid increase suggests the involvement of environmental factors, behavioral changes or lifestyle, rather than genetic drift. It has become increasingly clear that the microbiome plays a key role in educating the host immune system and, thus, regulation of disease susceptibility. This review will focus on recent advances uncovering immunological and microbial mechanisms that protect against allergies, in particular, within the context of a farming environment. A whole body of epidemiological data disclosed the nature of the protective exposures in a farm. Current evidence points toward an important role of the host microbiome in setting an immunological equilibrium that determines progression toward, or protection against allergic diseases. Conclusive mechanistic insights on how microbial exposures prevent from developing allergic diseases in humans are still lacking but findings from experimental models reveal plausible immunological mechanisms. Gathering further knowledge on these mechanisms and confirming their relevance in humans is of great importance to develop preventive strategies for children at risk of developing allergies.

中文翻译：

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防止过敏：微生物、免疫和耕作效应

近几十年来，哮喘和其他过敏性疾病的患病率在“西方化”国家迅速增加。这种快速增加表明环境因素、行为改变或生活方式的参与，而不是遗传漂移。越来越清楚的是，微生物组在培养宿主免疫系统并因此调节疾病易感性方面起着关键作用。这篇综述将重点关注最近的进展，这些进展揭示了防止过敏的免疫和微生物机制，特别是在农业环境的背景下。大量的流行病学数据揭示了农场中保护性暴露的性质。目前的证据表明宿主微生物组在设定免疫平衡方面发挥着重要作用，该平衡决定了进展，或预防过敏性疾病。关于微生物暴露如何预防人类过敏性疾病的结论性机制见解仍然缺乏，但实验模型的发现揭示了合理的免疫机制。收集有关这些机制的进一步知识并确认它们与人类的相关性对于为有发生过敏风险的儿童制定预防策略非常重要。