About this Research Topic

Background

Allergic sensitization can occur throughout the life course and is determined by a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. As infants gain initial exposure to allergens in infancy (and even before birth, in the womb) allergic sensitization can begin to occur, leading to the development of allergies.

Frontiers in Allergy is looking to address key aspects of allergic sensitization in infants in order to promote important discussions around this topic and commission high quality research articles to this area. Led by an expert team, this Research Topic welcomes all article types accepted by Frontiers in Allergy covering, but not limited to the following sub-themes:

• Maternal transfer of IgE antibodies – prevalence and clinical implications
• The role of human milk in allergic sensitization in infants.
• Prevalence, patterns and clinical implications of allergic sensitization in infants: review on data from population based studies.
• Patterns and the added value of molecular allergy diagnostics in the assessment of allergic sensitization in infants
• Impact of early food introduction on allergic sensitization and allergy – dry skin, atopic dermatitis, filaggrin mutations and allergic sensitization – what is the connection and update on recent findings
• Impact of environmental exposures (including nutrition, pets, dust, smoking, spores and air pollution)

Conflict of interest declaration: Prof. Joost van Neerven is employed by Friesland Campina. Dr. Daniel Munblit reports receipt of grants from the British Embassy in Moscow, UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Russian Foundation for Basic Research. Dr. Kirsi Jarvinen Seppo is funded through the National Institutes of Health/ NIAID and Janssen R&D for studies that assess allergic sensitization in infants. She has received research funding from Aimmune (food immunotherapy) and Bill and Melinda Gates foundation (breast milk antibodies) for unrelated studies. She consults for DVB (food immunotherapy), Janssen R&D (food allergy) and Merch (allergen immunotherapy). She receives royalties from U-To-Date (cow’s milk and cereal allergy).

Keywords: allergic sensitization, infants, IgE anitbodies, epidemiology, prevalence, food introduction, environmental exposures, molecular allergy

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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