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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Plagued by hay fever? Blame your nasal microbes

People with hay fever have a higher proportion of a certain bacterial species in their noses.
Close-up of Timothy grass pollen spreading in the wind from spikes.

Pollen triggers allergy symptoms, but bacteria in the nose play a part. Credit: Pal Hermansen/Nature Picture Library

If you sneeze when there’s pollen in the breeze, the make-up of bacteria in your nose might be the problem. People who have allergic rhinitis — commonly known as hay fever — have a less diverse mix of nasal bacteria than people without the condition, according to research by Ping Miao at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China and colleagues1.

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Nature 613, 614 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00070-9

References

  1. Miao, P. et al. Nature Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01301-x (2023).

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