Figure 5

Conceptual model for the effects of maternal geohelminth infections on eczema. Effects of maternal geohelminth exposures on eczema are considered to occur through the capacity of the immune system to regulate inflammation of the skin caused by external insults. Factors that may determine the ability of the immune system to do this include: 1) Immune maturation-the speed of maturation of the immune response in early life is likely to effect the ability of the immune response to respond to infections and other insults with appropriate but measured inflammatory responses. 2). Immune regulation/suppression-the development of robust and specific immune regulatory mechanisms are important for the development of an appropriate inflammatory response to specific insults. 3) Immune homeostasis-robust mechanisms to limit responses to pro-inflammatory stimuli may be an importance mechanism for the control of inflammation.