farm children who are regularly brought into animal sheds before they are weaned can cope more effectively with viral infections than other kids

 farm children who are regularly brought into animal sheds before they are weaned can cope more effectively with viral infections than other kids

Children who regularly play in close contact with farm animals inhale minute particles of hay and grass. These carry with them a complex mixture of micro-organisms - bacterial and fungal cells and spores - and pollen grains into the airways. When these come into contact with the respiratory epithelium lining the airways, "the micro-organisms evidently modulate the course of the inflammatory response in the body," says Loss