Summary Background Infections in early childhood may prevent allergies in later life. If this hypothesis is true, early exposure to childcare outside the home would protect against atopy by promotion of cross infections. We investigated whether children who attend a nursery at a young age have a lower rate of atopy and fewer allergies than children who attend from an older age. The children's parents answered a questionnaire about allergies and symptoms, attendance at day care, and related factors. Interpretation Our findings accord with the hypothesis that early infection may protect against allergies in later life.
Viruses take advantage of the organization of the animal body to reproduce itself.
This same virus contaminated the polio vaccine administered to 98 million Americans from 1955 to 1963. The Virus and the Vaccine. Atlantic Monthly February 2000. The New Science of Darwinian Medicine . Walbachia possible cause of speciation in insects Wolbachia infects as much as 20 percent of all insect species, and tends to infect large percentages of the individuals in those species.