In 2014, James Garn, principal investigator at the University of Wisconsin Asthma and Allergy Disease Clinical Research Center, founded the Garn Research Group. His research group studies differences in children’s immune systems when exposed to farm and non-farm environments by studying cohorts of farm and urban children.
Garn hopes to use the knowledge gained from this study to find new treatments and recommendations to improve children’s health, but not all medical care necessarily requires drug intervention. said. Garn said just exposing children to the environment could improve immune development.
Anne Palmenberg, professor of molecular virology, said she had worked with Gahan in the research group for 15 years. The patient cohort that Garn and Palmenberg studied came from rural Amish communities, and by comparing them to children raised in large cities, they were able to explore the potential effects of farm life on the human immune system. It is possible to study certain causal relationships.
“Gym [Gern] Because the Amish have a unique lifestyle that differs from urban life in the way they interact with animals, they have a very unique patient population that can be studied to determine environmental influences on immune system development. about their children and their interaction with the barn environment,” Palmenberg said.
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The study aimed to observe immune development and responses to infections in children growing up on farms, opening the door to understanding what things in the environment influence immunity. Palmenberg said.
Gahan said that during the first few years of a child’s life, the body, especially the immune system, undergoes significant development. To be physically strong and healthy, you need to teach your immune system what to accept and what to reject.
“And what the immune system is learning is to develop effective ways to fight germs while still tolerating things that get on the skin, like food and plants,” Gahan said.
Palmenberg said environmental exposures can determine whether a child develops health problems such as asthma, allergies and other immune problems. As a child’s immune system develops, it becomes more resistant to the environment. The exposures that children experience affect the strength of their immune systems.
Gahan said research shows that children who grow up on farms are less likely to see a doctor for health problems. The report found that children on farms tend to have fewer asthma and allergies, likely due to environmental exposure not seen in urban areas.
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Palmenberg says farm-raised animals are better overall because they are actively exposed to a variety of allergens, including bacteria, food, plant pollen, and animal dander, all of which work together to strengthen the immune system. said it was healthy.
Palmenberg said Wisconsin, known for its dairy farms, offers a unique opportunity for this type of research to be conducted. Palmenberg said the state’s large number of rural Amish communities, large cities and the state of Wisconsin make it the perfect location for the study.
Gahan said the number of small family farms is declining in the United States, but Wisconsin is an exception. Many farms have converted to farms that focus on one animal rather than a few of all animals. This could compromise the immunity of people living on farms, who may not develop immunity as much as they would if they were exposed to a variety of animals, Gahan said.
As small family farms disappear, so do the number of children caring for animals. Children then lose the opportunity to interact with these types of livestock up close, Garn said.
Palmerberg said the research group has been following populations of children for years to track their health on farms and in urban settings. Families fill out questionnaires and provide scientists with data about their children’s lifestyle and health.
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Mr. Palmenberg said nature and nurture are the main drivers in the study of farm and off-farm exposures. The research group is trying to figure out whether there are immunomedical problems caused by how children are raised, how they are raised, their environment or genetics.
Ultimately, the research group aims to figure out what the immune system depends on to be strong, Palmenberg said.
In addition to survey data collected from the community, Gahan said they are collecting nasal cells by swabbing the inside of the nose to test for the virus living inside the nose. Scientists can use these cells to study a person’s genome, or an organism’s complete set of DNA, to see what genes are being made.
“We are especially grateful to the farmers in Wisconsin for interacting with our scientists,” Garn said. “We collect samples and have them fill out surveys. The altruism of the farming community and their willingness to share this information is amazing.”
Mr. Garn is also the co-principal investigator of a project to study the development of allergies in urban areas. He said children who grew up in more polluted cities had higher rates of asthma. Garn said this is especially dangerous because children are more likely to be hospitalized with asthma.
“So [urban-raised children] “There’s no contact with animals, green spaces, soil, and that may be necessary in order for them to receive extensive biological exposure that gives them a healthy microbiome and a healthy immune system,” Gahan said. “So that’s what we’re trying to find out: What’s wrong? What are they missing? We want to learn from farmers.”
It remains to be seen whether the results of both these studies can be compared to find the main requirements for a strong immune system. But Palmenberg said the main finding from the Gern research group so far is that animals raised on farms are healthier.
“Children grow up healthier when they’re exposed to all the positive microorganisms in the environment, so a little bit of dirt is good for them,” says Palmenberg.