Bacteria in lungs may protect humans from developing asthma

Human cells are outnumbered ten-to-one by the microbes that thrive in and on us. Now a study finds that the tiny organisms living in our lungs may protect us from asthma.

A newborn’s lungs start out sterile and then become colonized by microbes. To see how lung microbes might influence disease susceptibility, researchers studied mice, which also start with sterile lungs that soon host microbes.

In the first two weeks of life, these microbial communities shift and proliferate. So the scientists looked at three groups of mice: babies three days old, 15-day-old mice, and two-month old adults. All were exposed to dust mites, which provoke inflammation.

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Read the full, original story: Healthy Lung Microbes Keep Mice Breathing Easy