Allergy articles from across Nature Portfolio

Oral administration of an α-glucosidase inhibitor allows complex carbohydrates to reach the colon, where they promote succinate-producing bacteria that suppress anaphylaxis in mice.

Vaginal birth, exclusive breastfeeding and early contact with siblings promote colonization of the infant gut with bifidobacteria capable of producing aromatic lactates, a microbial and metabolite signal that is inversely related to the risk of allergen-specific sensitization and dermatitis later in life.

A previously unappreciated sympathetic–immune axis links psychological stress to eosinophil recruitment and consequent worsening of atopic dermatitis.

Early life exposure to allergens triggers a unique mode of dendritic cell activation in the skin, inducing local inflammation and priming systemic allergic responses to subsequent exposures in later life.

A preprint by Villazala-Merino et al. shows that allergen-specific memory B cells must re-enter germinal centres to differentiate into IgE-producing plasma cells, which occurs in lymph nodes but not at barrier sites.

Transient depletion of the gut microbiome by antibiotics in early life reduces systemic levels of the metabolite indole-3-propionic acid, which causes long-lasting mitochondrial damage to lung epithelial cells and increases susceptibility to airway inflammation in adult mice.