23 On the other hand, opinions differ as to whether furry pets in the local environment of a young child can act as a protective factor and help tolerance to develop, 7 9 10 or whether animals are risk factors for the development of allergy in children in high-risk families.
Identifying allergy-protective components of food-borne germs could aid the development of allergy vaccines.
There is evidence that stress plays a significant role in the development of allergy.
This hypothesis suggests that development of allergy (or asthma) could be prevented by exposure to immune stimulants such as viruses, bacteria and endotoxins, in particular in the prenatal period or early childhood.
"To make things even more complicated, there is also strong evidence to suggest that nut allergy doesn't develop until after birth and that it is exposure of the infant's skin to nut protein that is most important in the development of allergy.
Several studies have linked probiotic species with immunomodulation [14], [15], [16], [18], [19], [20], [21] and demonstrated their efficacy in protection against development of allergy and atopy.
The development of allergy vaccines faces additional problems, because unlike prophylactic vaccination, allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) attempts to counteract an already established pathological immune response [1].
However, several epidemiological studies show that fatty acid composition in milk [44], [45], diet [46], [47], and umbilical cord blood [48] affects the development of allergy and other inflammatory diseases including asthma.
