Food-allergic infants have impaired regulatory T-cell responses following in vivo allergen exposure

Abstract

Background: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical for development of oral tolerance, and studies suggest that dysfunction of Tregs may lead to food allergy. However, to date, no study has investigated Treg responses following in vivo exposure to peanut or egg allergens in humans. Objectives: To examine changes in peripheral blood CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg populations (total, activated and naive) in food-allergic, food-sensitized but tolerant, and healthy (non-sensitized non-allergic) patients over time following in vivo allergen exposure. Methods: A subset of infants from the HealthNuts study with egg or peanut allergy (n = 37), egg or peanut sensitization (n = 35), or who were non-sensitized n..