Future generations may soon be immune to cow's milk allergy (CMA) as researchers from the University of Chicago discovered the symbiotic combination that can stop food allergies.

In a paper featured in Cell Host & Microbe, Prof. Cathryn Nagler and her team demonstrated how the microbe A. caccae and the prebiotic lactulose increased butyrate production in the intestinal tracts of mice, effectively preventing allergic reactions to cow's milk.

"We know [from scientific literature] that butyrate can improve barrier integrity [of the intestinal tract] and induce broad anti-inflammatory effects," said Ande Hesser, a former PhD student in Nagler's lab and first author of the paper.

However, butyrate production is wholly dependent on the gut microbiome, which, according to Nagler, has become less diverse compared to before. She attributed the lack of diversity to several factors, including antibiotic use, Cesarean births, and less exposure to infectious agents. 

After Hesser successfully isolated, profiled, and cultured a novel strain of A. caccae named LAHUC, derived from his initials and the University of Chicago, the team fed A. caccae LAHUC to mice, which were introduced a week before to donor feces from an infant with CMA. 

Initial results showed that mice fed the novel strain had developed a significant amount of A. caccae in their gut. However, an increase in butyrate levels was not observed. 

This development prompted Hesser to screen prebiotics to discern which among them could push the microbe to initiate butyrate production. After several attempts and tests, the team discovered that adding lactulose to the treatment achieved two goals: increase butyrate levels and stifle allergic responses to CMA.

Read the full article here to learn about the in-depth process of discovering the A. caccae and lactulose pair.

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