Outdoor pigs who root around in the mud early in life may have greater immunity to disease than their indoor counterparts, according to a study posted on the online journal BMC Biology.
Researchers used pigs as a model to test the theory that early colonization of the gut in humans can reduce the incidence of infectious, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The study found that the outdoor pigs in the study had a larger gut population of lactobacillus bacteria and Type 1 interferon, which have anti-infection properties.
“Early-life environment significantly affects both microbial composition of the adult gut and mucosal innate immune function. We observed that a microbiota dominated by lactobacilli may function to maintain mucosal immune homeostasis and limit pathogen colonization,” the authors say in the study’s conclusion.
