The role of gut microbiota in preventing allergies

The presence of microbes in the gut specifically blocks the immune cells responsible for triggering allergies, according to new French research. It is well established that a loss of bacterial symbionts promotes the development of allergies, but  the biological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have remained unclear. Now scientists at the Institut Pasteur have succeeded in explaining this phenomenon, and demonstrate how the microbiota acts on the balance of the immune system.