Evolution of the hygiene hypothesis into biota alteration theory: what are the paradigms and where are the clinical applications?

Chantal Villeneuve; Henry H Kou; Henrik Eckermann; Antara Palkar; Lauren G Anderson; Erin A McKenney; R Randal Bollinger; William Parker

doi:10.1016/j.micinf.2017.11.001

Evolution of the hygiene hypothesis into biota alteration theory: what are the paradigms and where are the clinical applications?

Microbes Infect. 2018 Mar;20(3):147-155. doi: 10.1016/j.micinf.2017.11.001. Epub 2017 Nov 10.

Authors

Chantal Villeneuve¹, Henry H Kou¹, Henrik Eckermann¹, Antara Palkar¹, Lauren G Anderson¹, Erin A McKenney², R Randal Bollinger¹, William Parker³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
² Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.
³ Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. Electronic address: William.Parker@Duke.edu.

PMID: 29133248
DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2017.11.001

Abstract

For thousands of years, changes in human cultures have altered the biota associated with the human body, and those alterations have strongly influenced human health. The hygiene hypothesis has evolved over the past 30 years into a nuanced biota alteration theory, but modern medical priorities and regulatory policies have resulted in tragic underutilization of the acquired knowledge.

Keywords: Biome; Biota; Helminth; Hygiene hypothesis; Microbiota.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Biodiversity*
Biota / physiology*
Culture
Host-Pathogen Interactions
Humans
Hygiene Hypothesis*
Inflammation / immunology
Inflammation / microbiology
Microbiota / physiology
Models, Biological*
Public Health