Acinetobacter lwoffii and Lactococcus lactis strains isolated from farm cowsheds possess strong allergy-protective properties.

The paper evaluates the potential allergy-protective properties of microbes isolated from the farming environment. Of a number of bacterial species identified in cowsheds of farms, two were selected, namely Acinetobacter lwoffii F78 and Lactococcus lactis G121. Both isolates were able to reduce allergic reactions in mice, to activate mammalian cells in vitro, and to induce a TH1-polarizing program in dendritic cells. The data strongly support the hygiene hypothesis, which states that an environment rich in microbiologic structures, such as a farming environment, might protect against the development of allergies. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2007;119:1514-21.