Prevention of Food Allergy during Late Infancy and Early Childhood

摘要

The normal immunological response to food antigens is geared to the induction of tolerance, that is to say, unresponsiveness in the case of their further ingestion. Allergic sensitization may be considered as a failure or a breaking of immunological tolerance. It is becoming clearer and clearer that the development of oral tolerance is highly dependent on the intestinal micro-flora; indeed the intestinal bacteria have the ability to induce the formation of cytokines of Th1 immunity (particularly of INF7) and also IL-10 and IL-12, which counteract the Th2-dependent allergic sensitization and favor the state of Thl/Th2 equilibrium that prevails later in life in normal children [1].