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The biodiversity hypothesis and immunotolerance in allergy

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Abstract

Background

The human immune system is capable of detecting a multitude of substances and organisms in the environment and responding to these in a variety of ways. This includes immune responses to pathogens, on the one hand, and immunotolerance in the form of immunoregulatory responses, resulting in either the termination of immune responses or in tolerance to harmless and endogenous substances, on the other. The development of immunotolerance is an active process that is essentially characterized by interaction with microbiota and environmental components and is primarily mediated by regulatory T cells.

Methods

This article provides an overview of selected scientific articles and is addressed also to non-specialists. It is based on a literature search in PubMed, specialist databases, and guidelines.

Results

According to the diversity hypothesis, exposure in early childhood to broad biodiversity is now considered to reduce the risk of developing allergic diseases.

Conclusion

Therefore, tolerance induction emerges in allergology not only as a potential concept for prevention, but also as a treatment approach in atopic diseases.

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Abbreviations

DC:

Dendritic cells

IgE:

Immunoglobulin E

IL:

Interleukin

iTreg:

“Induced” regulatory T cells

MHC:

Major histocompatibility complex

nTreg:

“Natural” regulatory T cells

SCORAD:

Score of Atopic Dermatitis

Th cells:

T helper cell subtypes

Treg:

Regulatory T cells

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Dermatology and Allergology, Technical University of Munich, Biedersteiner Straße 29, 80802, Munich, Germany

    Susanne Kaesler, Yuliya Skabytska, Thomas Volz &  Tilo Biedermann

  2. Clinical Unit Allergology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health GmbH, Neuherberg, Germany

    Tilo Biedermann

Authors
  1. Susanne Kaesler
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  2. Yuliya Skabytska
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  3. Thomas Volz
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  4. Tilo Biedermann
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Correspondence to Tilo Biedermann.

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Conflict of interest

S. Kaesler, Y. Skabytska, T. Volz and T. Biedermann declare that they have no competing interests.

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Kaesler, S., Skabytska, Y., Volz, T. et al. The biodiversity hypothesis and immunotolerance in allergy. Allergo J Int 27, 140–146 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40629-018-0072-0

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