Living with Fur

New Zealand researchers, including Professor Malcolm Sear of the University of Otago, have found those who lived with dogs and cats for significant periods of time were less likely to develop allergies, compared with those who lived with either a dog or a cat. The researchers, who tracked more than 1000 people over 30 years, used skin-prick tests to measure reactions to common allergens, and found that 35 per cent of children with both pets had developed allergies by age 13. This compared with 43 per cent of those with no pets and 52 per cent of those who had either a dog or a cat. The study is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.