Peanut immunotherapy: still working after four years

Peanut allergy probably causes more disruption and anxiety than any other, at least in the West, perhaps because of its propensity to cause anaphylaxis and its tendency to be lifelong. In April 2014, Archivist reported the successful outcome of the STOP II trial, where continued exposure to small but increasing amounts of ingested peanut protein effectively induced tolerance (http://ift.tt/2wESp3c). But the question remained: how long will this tolerance last?

Now a different trial of peanut tolerance induction through exposure has reported that it can be effectively maintained (Hsiao KC et al. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2017. http://ift.tt/2xn9ewt). Researchers from Melbourne, Australia, initially recruited 62 peanut-allergic children aged 1–10 years, but unlike the STOP II study, they were given a probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus) as well as peanut (the PPOIT trial). The probiotic is supposed to ‘support redirection of the peanut-specific allergic response towards tolerance by providing a tolerogenic milieu at the time...

from ADC Online First http://ift.tt/2wESpAe