A new research has found a link between farm dust and protection against asthma and allergies. It is said that the research findings published in the US journal Science could help in the development of a vaccine against asthma.

An experiment was carried out in which the study researchers have exposed mice to farm dust extract taken from Germany and Switzerland. After exposing them, the researchers found that these mice were completely protected against house dust mite allergy, the most common cause of allergies among humans.

The researchers came to know that farm dust makes mucous membrane in the respiratory tract to react less severely to allergens because of a protein called A20. The researchers said a person produces the protein when he comes in contact with farm dust.

Professor Hamida Hammad at Ghent University said the protective coverage was not present when the protein was not active in mice. The researchers carried out an assessment of 2,000 people who have grown up in farms. It was found that a majority of them do not suffer from allergies.

The ones who were vulnerable to asthma and allergies were then ones who were lacking the protective protein. “Discovering how farm dust provides this type of protection has certainly put us on the right track towards developing an asthma vaccine and new allergy therapies”, said Hammad, who added that more research is needed on the topic.