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Thomas A. E. Platts-Mills, MD, PhD

JAMA. 2002;288:1012-1014.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Over the last 20 years, the relationship between exposure to allergens and asthma has been intensively investigated because the prevalence and severity of the disease have increased, and because sensitization to common indoor allergens is strongly associated with asthma.^1-2 Studies on exposure to dust mite allergens have consistently shown a direct relationship to sensitization, as judged by positive skin prick test responses, as well as a strong relationship between sensitization and asthma.^3-6 By contrast, several studies of farming communities in Europe have indicated that early exposure to farm animals has a protective effect against both sensitization and asthma.⁷ Recent evidence has suggested that this effect might be mediated by high exposure to bacterial endotoxins.^7-8 Farm animals have not been common in the big cities of America or Europe since before 1900; on the other hand, domestic pets are extremely common, a prolific source of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Author Affiliation: Division of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville.

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