Babies and Animal Fur

(Munich, Germany) New research from the Helmholtz Zentrum München Research Centre suggests that babies sleeping on animal fur reduces the risk of asthma.

The new research, presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Munich today (8 September 2014), suggests that exposure to the microbial environment in animal skin and fur could have a protective effect against asthma and allergies.[…]

Dr Christina Tischer, from the Helmholtz Zentrum München Research Centre, said: "Previous studies have suggested that microbes found in rural settings can protect from asthma. An animal skin might also be a reservoir for various kinds of microbes, following similar mechanisms as has been observed in rural environments. Our findings have confirmed that it is crucial to study further the actual microbial environment within the animal fur to confirm these associations."

Interesting, don't you think? The animal rights folks may not think so.