NTU scientists discover 'cure' for asthma in dust found in rural farms

NTU's Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute executive director Shane A. Snyder (left) and Mauricius Marques Dos Santos. - ST

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): For years, scientists in the United States noticed that children raised on farms and exposed to a diverse range of allergens were generally less predisposed to asthma and other forms of allergies compared with those growing up in cities.

But one particular group intrigued them - the Amish community, a traditionalist Christian group largely living in the farming belts of Pennsylvania and Ohio.