Increase of allergy patients and change in hygienic conditions: A hypothesis through studies on monkey pollinosis.

Abstract

We found a naturally occurring Pollinosis in Japanese monkeys and have been developing biomedical studies on Pollinosis and related allergy using monkey model. We have also been examining a mechanism for increasing the allergic diseases. In current paper I will show a new evidence associating with increase in antigen-specific IgE production and allergy. Our results suggest that both of Th1/Th2 imbalance and downregulation of IgE-mediated antigen/allergen presentation leads to allergic diseases in human in last a few decades.