Mechanistic studies on asthma protection by an environmental microbe in mice

In this research we describe a new mechanism of asthma protection induced by the environmental microbe Acinetobacter lwoffii (AL) which was originally discovered in epidemiological studies among farmers and non-farmers. We provide evidence that chronic low-grade inflammation locally induced by repeated topical AL exposure plays a critical role in mediating this effect. Particularly IL-6 production was identified as an essential AL mediated effect. Subsequently, changes in the epigenetic landscape of CD4+ T-cells let to IL-10 production. As a consequence of compounded IL-6 and IL-10 activity, significant perturbation of the caecal microbiome was discovered with specific identified Taxa associated with either disease activity or protection. This new mechanism might be of relevance also for other chronic inflammatory diseases beyond allergies and asthma