Researchers Discover That Large Families and Animals Can Help Protect Infants From Atopic Diseases

Article

Having siblings, keeping a pet, or living on a farm helps protect infants against the development of atopic diseases, but early infections increase the risk, according to new research from Denmark.

Researchers conducted four separate interviews with more than 24,000 pregnant women (twice during their pregnancy and again when their child was 6 and 18 months old).

Information on atopic dermatitis and infections before 6 months of age were recorded. Data on factors associated with exposure to microbes, such as number of siblings, pet keeping, living on a farm, and attending day care, were also collected.

The risk of atopic dermatitis increased with each infectious disease before 6 months of age. This contrasts with the common belief that infectious diseases early in life may protect against the development of allergic diseases.

However, the risk of atopic dermatitis decreased with each additional exposure to three or more siblings, day care, pet ownership, and farm residence. This protective effect remained after adjusting for number of infectious diseases, suggesting that it is established independently and very early in life, say the authors.

These findings support the importance of microbial exposure for preventing atopic dermatitis, but challenge the hypothesis that infectious diseases in infancy protect against its development, they conclude.

Source: British Medical Journal

Newsletter

Stay prepared and protected with Infection Control Today's newsletter, delivering essential updates, best practices, and expert insights for infection preventionists.

Recent Videos
David J. Weber, MD, MPH, president of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
Brenna Doran PhD, MA, hospital epidemiology and infection prevention for the University of California, San Francisco, and a coach and consultant of infection prevention; Jessica Swain, MBA, MLT, director of infection prevention and control for Dartmouth Health in Lebanon, New Hampshire; and Shanina Knighton, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Nursing and senior nurse scientist at MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio
Brenna Doran PhD, MA, hospital epidemiology and infection prevention for the University of California, San Francisco, and a coach and consultant of infection prevention; Jessica Swain, MBA, MLT, director of infection prevention and control for Dartmouth Health in Lebanon, New Hampshire; and Shanina Knighton, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Nursing and senior nurse scientist at MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.