ReviewNature immunology2017
The immunology of the allergy epidemic and the hygiene hypothesis.
Review in Nature immunology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 189 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
189 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 389 citations in OpenAlex.
- Early age of dog exposure is negatively associated with atopic dermatitis: A comprehensive analysis.Pediatric research · 2025Pooled it
- Childhood allergy is preceded by an absence of gut lactobacilli species and higher levels of atopy-related plasma chemokines.Clinical and experimental immunology · 2020Trial
- Changes in peripheral immune populations during pregnancy and modulation by probiotics and ω-3 fatty acids.Scientific reports · 2020Trial
- Baicalein Attenuates Eosinophilic Rhinosinusitis by Suppressing ALOX15-Mediated M2 Macrophage Function.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Incidence of autoimmune diseases in children with atopy treated with dupilumab.The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 2026Article
- Distinct epidemiological patterns of allergic disease comorbidity across elementary school grades in Taiwan.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Interleukin-4-producing type 2 innate lymphoid cells in the lymph node promote proallergic Tfh13 cell differentiation.Immunity · 2026Article
- The development of residential gut microbiota in mice at different phases in early life.iScience · 2026Article
- Gnotobiotic mouse models as tools for dissecting the role of the microbiota in allergy: contributions from the laboratory of gnotobiology in Nový Hrádek.Folia microbiologica · 2026Review
- Exploring the mediating roles of parenting & relationship quality in the association between early socioeconomic disparities and healthcare utilization for childhood allergic conditions: Longitudinal evidence from linked LSAC-medicare data.The World Allergy Organization journal · 2026Article
- Intrauterine Mixed Exposure to Size-Specific Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Ozone Exposure in Relation to Childhood Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2026Article
- A nationwide cross-sectional survey of major allergic diseases in China during 2010-2015 involving 120,000 participants.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Extensive antibiotic use during early life and risk of frailty: a population-based cohort study in the UK biobank.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Dendritic Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Mediate Inflammation in Egg Allergy Patients.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Relative contributions of environmental pollen exposure and host susceptibility toFrontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Advanced maternal age and childhood allergy: marker or mechanism?Frontiers in allergy · 2026Article
- Prevalence and indoor environment risk factors of parent-reported food allergy symptoms among preschool children in Haikou City, China: a cross-sectional survey.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Wheat-Dependent Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis Patients on a Wheat-Free Diet Exhibit a Gut Microbiota Composition More Similar to Healthy Individuals.Journal of asthma and allergy · 2026Article
- Transdermal entry of a non-pathogenic filamentous fungusFrontiers in immunology · 2026Article
129 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The immunology of the hygiene hypothesis of allergy is complex and involves the loss of cellular and humoral immunoregulatory pathways as a result of the adoption of a Western lifestyle and the disappearance of chronic infectious diseases. The influence of diet and reduced microbiome diversity now forms the foundation of scientific thinking on how the allergy epidemic occurred, although clear mechanistic insights into the process in humans are still lacking. Here we propose that barrier epithelial cells are heavily influenced by environmental factors and by microbiome-derived danger signals and metabolites, and thus act as important rheostats for immunoregulation, particularly during early postnatal development. Preventive strategies based on this new knowledge could exploit the diversity of the microbial world and the way humans react to it, and possibly restore old symbiotic relationships that have been lost in recent times, without causing disease or requiring a return to an unhygienic life style.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.