Effects of dog ownership in early childhood on immune development and atopic diseases

Bufford, Jeremy D.; Reardon, Claudia L.; Li, Z.; Roberg, K.A.; DaSilva, D.F.; Eggleston, Peyton A.; Liu, A. H.; Milton, Donald K.; Alwis, Udeni; Gangnon, Ronald E.; Lemanske, Robert F.; Gern, James E.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2222.2008.03018.x

Cited by 91 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(56 reference statements)

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“…35,36 We speculate that animal contacts could help to mature the immunologic system, leading to more composed immunologic response and shorter duration of infections. We offer preliminary evidence that dog ownership may be protective against respiratory tract infections during the first year of life.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Respiratory Tract Illnesses During the First Year of Life: Effect of Dog and Cat Contacts

Bergroth¹,

Remes²,

Pekkanen

et al. 2012

Pediatrics

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WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Respiratory infectious symptoms are common during the first year of life. Day care attendance, older siblings, and lack of breastfeeding have been considered as possible factors influencing early respiratory tract infections. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:Children with early dog contacts seem to have fewer infectious respiratory symptoms and diseases, especially otitis, during the first year of life. abstract OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of dog and cat contacts on the frequency of respiratory symptoms and infections during the first year of life. METHODS:In this birth cohort study, 397 children were followed up from pregnancy onward, and the frequency of respiratory symptoms and infections together with information about dog and cat contacts during the first year of life were reported by using weekly diaries and a questionnaire at the age of 1 year. All the children were born in eastern or middle Finland between September 2002 and May 2005. RESULTS:In multivariate analysis, children having dogs at home were healthier (ie, had fewer respiratory tract symptoms or infections) than children with no dog contacts (adjusted odds ratio, [aOR]: 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13-1.52). Furthermore, children having dog contacts at home had less frequent otitis (aOR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.38-0.81) and tended to need fewer courses of antibiotics (aOR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.52-0.96) than children without such contacts. In univariate analysis, both the weekly amount of contact with dogs and cats and the average yearly amount of contact were associated with decreased respiratory infectious disease morbidity. CONCLUSIONS:These results suggest that dog contacts may have a protective effect on respiratory tract infections during the first year of life. Our findings support the theory that during the first year of life, animal contacts are important, possibly leading to better resistance to infectious respiratory illnesses during childhood. Pediatrics 2012;130:211-220 AUTHORS:

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…crucial in immunity developing along a nonallergic route 24,35 and in ensuring effective responses to respiratory viral infections in early life. 35,36 We speculate that animal contacts could help to mature the immunologic system, leading to more composed immunologic response and shorter duration of infections.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory Tract Illnesses During the First Year of Life: Effect of Dog and Cat Contacts

Bergroth¹,

Remes²,

Pekkanen

et al. 2012

Pediatrics

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“…[72] It seems likely that the effect is mediated through stimulation of innate immune responses, although endotoxin levels by themselves do not always explain the relationship between dog ownership and atopic outcomes. [71,[73][74][75] As for all observational research, our data need to be interpreted with caution. First of all, we conducted a cross-sectional study implicating that we only measured sensitization, allergic symptoms and covariates at a single moment in time.…”

Section: Original Articlementioning

confidence: 85%

Messages from the Aalst Allergy Study

et al. 2009

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“…Similarly to the qPCR results, some U-shaped associations were detected between the levels of ergosterol (marker for fungal biomass) and immune responses at birth but not at 1 year of age. Furthermore, exposure to ergosterol has not been linked to the production of cytokines at birth [13], at 3 months of age [13], at 1 year of age [36] or at 3 years of age [36]. However, even though the results were not very consistent, recent findings from the PASTURE core study do indicate that the levels of fungal extracellular polysaccharides measured from smooth floor may be associated with increased cord blood TNF-α responses [37].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Indoor Microbial Levels Are Associated with Reduced Th1 Cytokine Secretion Capacity in Infancy

Lappalainen¹,

Hyvärinen²,

Hirvonen³

et al. 2012

Int Arch Allergy Immunol

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Background: Exposure to microbes and their components may affect the maturation of the immune system.We examined the association of house dust microbial content with cytokine-producing capacity at birth and at the age of 1 year. Methods: Production of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-5, IL-8 and IL-10 at birth (n = 228) and at the age of 1 year (n = 200) following 24- and 48-hour whole-blood stimulation with staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), lipopolysaccharide and the combination of phorbol ester and ionomycin was measured. Concentrations of ergosterol (marker for fungal biomass), muramic acid (marker for Gram-positive bacteria) and 3-hydroxy fatty acids with a carbon chain length from 10 to 14 (marker for Gram-negative bacteria) in living room floor dust were analyzed using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Five single microbial species or groups were determined using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Results: A high total level of the studied Gram-positive bacteria in general or Mycobacterium spp. in house dust was associated with decreased SEB-stimulated IFN-γ production, especially at the age of 1 year. The total level of indoor fungi analyzed (Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp. and Paecilomyces variotii group, Trichoderma viride/atroviride/koningii,Wallemia sebi) was also inversely associated with IFN-γ production at the age of 1 year, but this association did not remain significant after adjustment for potential confounders. A few associations were found between microbial exposures and other measured cytokines. Conclusions: High indoor microbial exposures may affect immune development in early life by reducing T helper type 1 cytokine secretion capacity. The observed hyporesponsiveness may reflect the adaptation of the immune system to environmental antigens. In future, more attention should be paid especially to the immunomodulatory role of exposures to Gram-positive bacteria.

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Effects of dog ownership in early childhood on immune development and atopic diseases

Abstract: Exposure to dogs in infancy, and especially around the time of birth, is associated with changes in immune development and reductions in wheezing and atopy. These findings are not explained by exposure to endotoxin, ergosterol, or muramic acid.

Cited by 91 publications

References 42 publications

Respiratory Tract Illnesses During the First Year of Life: Effect of Dog and Cat Contacts

Respiratory Tract Illnesses During the First Year of Life: Effect of Dog and Cat Contacts

Messages from the Aalst Allergy Study

High Indoor Microbial Levels Are Associated with Reduced Th1 Cytokine Secretion Capacity in Infancy

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