Gut bacteria based therapy may help reverse food allergies.

ISLAMABAD: Scientists have identified a species of bacteria in the human infant gut that protects against food allergies and may be used in therapies to reverse the condition.

Currently, the only way to prevent a reaction is for people with food allergies to completely avoid the food to which they are allergic.

A team from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital in the US identified the species of bacteria in the human infant gut that protect against food allergies.

In preclinical studies in a mouse model of food allergy, the team found that giving an enriched oral formulation of five or six species of bacteria found in the human gut protected against food allergies and reversed established disease by reinforcing tolerance of food allergens.

"This represents a sea change in our approach to therapeutics for food allergies," said Lynn Bry, one of...