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Infection, allergy and the hygiene hypothesis: historical perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2006

D. S. Kim  and
A. B. Drake-Lee
D. S. Kim
Affiliation:
University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
A. B. Drake-Lee
Affiliation:
Otolaryngology Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
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Abstract

The ’hygiene hypothesis’ was popularized in the late 1980s to explain the high prevalence of atopic disordersin the developed countries. It links atopic disorders and the lack of early life infections. An association between the two is not novel and dates back to the beginnings of allergy, immunology and microbiology. Allergy and infection have always been closely related and the study ofone has often provided new insights into the pathobiology of the other. Early research into bacterial infections led to the discovery of the human immune system and the concept of allergy. An important relationship exists between parasite infections and the development of atopic disorders.

This review traces the long and intimate historical relationship between infection and allergy.

Keywords

Allergy and ImmunologyHelminthsParasitesHistory of Medicine20th Cent
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 117 , Issue 12 , December 2003 , pp. 946 - 950
Copyright
© Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited 2003

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