Allergies: Gut flora affects maturation of B cells in infants

Infants whose gut is colonised by E. coli bacteria early in life have a higher number of memory B cells in their blood, reveals a new study of infants. The bacteria in our gut outnumber the cells in our bodies by a factor of ten and are extremely important for our health because they stimulate the maturation of the immune system. The normal bacterial flora in the gut is established at the very beginning of our lives, but an increasingly hygienic lifestyle has led to changes in this flora. source: ScienceDaily