A cure for peanut allergies may have been discovered in a Murdoch Childrens Research Institute study.
A team of researchers gave more than 60 children with peanut allergies a fixed dose of a probiotic, a fixed increase of Lactobacillus rhamnosus, or a placebo over 18 months to assess whether children would become tolerant to peanut.
After the 18 months passed, the researchers assessed each child's ability to tolerate peanut by a peanut challenge performed two to five weeks after stopping treatment, according to a Murdoch Childrens Research Institute issued news release.
The results were "astonishing" to the researchers - 80 percent of children who received the oral immunotherapy treatment were able to tolerate peanut at the end of the trial, compared to less than four percent of the placebo group.
The researchers said in the news release that this number is 20 times higher than the natural rate of resolution for peanut allergy.
Peanut allergies is the most prevalent food allergy shown in food alergic children, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology.
"In the study the combined delivery of probiotic and oral immunotherapy was a safe and effective treatment for peanut allergy; however it is important to point out that this treatment must be only be given under close medical supervision as we are giving peanut to children who are allergic to peanut, and children did have allergic reactions. Nevertheless, the likelihood of success was high - if nine children were given probiotic and peanut therapy, seven would benefit," lead researcher, Professor Mimi Tang said in the news release.
"It appears that we have been able to modify the allergic response to peanut such that the immune system produces protective responses rather than a harmful response to the peanut protein."
The scientists plan to continue their research by checking up with the patients in a few years to confirm that the treatment still works in the long-term.
