Bacterial components plus vitamin D: the ultimate solution to the asthma (autoimmune disease) epidemic?

摘要

In this issue of the Journal, 2 review articles (1 immunologic and 1 epidemiologic) draw attention to the human gut micro-biome and its potential importance in human health and the development of allergic and autoimmune disease. This editorial will try to synthesize the central messages of these reviews and outline the research directions in this emerging field. I will first review the data on the human microbiome, discuss factors that might influence gut bacterial colonization in human subjects, review the evidence that the microbiome is involved in allergic disease, and finally consider the role of vitamin D in this process.