The German Infant Nutritional Intervention Study (GINI): A Model for Allergy Prevention

摘要

It is widely accepted that the early contact of the neonatal immune system with food antigens plays an important role in the complex process of allergy development, especially in children with an atopic genotype. The immune response of fetuses/newborns with an atopic genotype is influenced by the T-helper type-2 (Th2) milieu of pregnancy from the normal T-helper type-1(Th1) response towards a Th2 response with the production of IgE [1, 2].The mechanism is probably a reduced downregulation of IgE production by B cells within the lymphoid follicles of the gastrointestinal tract and reduced facilitation of switch from a Th2 to a Th1 response in the gut.