Moosh:] writes

I've not heard this. Farm populations in Australia have just as high
rates of asthma which is odd considering all the speculation about
pollution being the cause. I imagine any population is more immune to
what it is often exposed to. And those who don't measure up just die
out

This is not what has been reported in the UK, from trials in many parts
of the world.

*RURAL* populations have the same level of asthma.

Families of livestock farmers have very significantly lower rates, as to
people living in unsanitary environments (typically third world).

There have been threads on this giving references, but I forget the
precise names. You could try searching for "let them eat dirt", which
was the first new scientist article that collated some of the (early)
evidence, there is more certain later work. It will probably have been
referenced somewhere in most of the threads.

There is even a mechanism proposed. There are two main mutually
inhibiting immune response pathways (whose names I always forget). One
basically designed to hit bacteria, the other viruses and toxins. In the
event of unnaturally low exposure to bacteria (ie modern sanitary
living) the virus-toxin one dominates. It becomes exquisitely sensitive
and liable to over-reaction. Hence (it is proposed) both allergies and
auto-immune diseases (both being very significantly higher in the first
world).

Intriguingly, this also posits a mechanism for the use of antibiotics in
young farm animals (babies in effect) attacked by a serious virus. It is
usual for them to recover from the virus, only to succumb to a bacterial
disease (often scours). The switching over to viral attack, leaves their
immature immune system open to attack by bacteria. This is so common as
to be expected.

--
Oz
This post is worth absolutely nothing and is probably fallacious.
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