Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Pets and vermin are associated with high endotoxin levels in house dust.
Previous studies have shown that the risk for allergic sensitization is lower in children who grew up on farms and in young adults who were exposed to dogs in early childhood. A higher microbial exposure in general and in particular to endotoxin in early childhood might contribute to this lower risk of atopy. ⋯ Keeping a dog or a cat in the home is consistent with higher exposure to endotoxin and might therefore contribute to the lower risk of atopy in later life.