Bianca (C), a chihuahua, arrives in a baby carriage with other pet dogs to compete in the second annual Doggie Gras Parade and Fat Cat Tuesday Celebration at the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, California March 4, 2014. Bianca won the con
Bianca (C), a chihuahua, arrives in a baby carriage with other pet dogs to compete in the second annual Doggie Gras Parade and Fat Cat Tuesday Celebration at the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, California March 4, 2014. Bianca won the contest and was named queen of the doggie Gras parade. Reuters/stringer

Sleeping on animal fur, especially in the first three months of a baby's life, reduces the risk of developing asthma and allergies, reveals a study presented at the European Respiratory Society's International Congress in Munich.

Contrary to earlier findings and common belief that animal skin can cause various allergies, few researchers have come to the conclusion that "germs in the hide and fur prime the immune system not to trigger allergies." According to researchers, microbes in animal skin and fur protect babies against asthma and allergies.

The study supports the "hygiene hypothesis," which suggests that too much hygiene and cleanliness in early life makes the child susceptible to various allergies and asthma.

As part of the study, the researchers studied 2,441 healthy babies from the time they were born till they were ten years of age. According to New Zealand Herald, results of the study showed that 55 percent of infants who slept on animal skin for the first three months are 79 percent less prone to developing asthma when they hit six years old, in comparison to those who did not sleep on animal fur. By the time the infants reach 10 years of age, the risk is further decreased to 41 percent, researchers said.

Revealing the role of microbes in rural settings, Dr. Christina Tischer, who works at 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."

Animal skin and animal fur have always been believed to cause allergies. Such is not the case here, however. As per the information available on the website of The Asthma Center, it is not the fur or the skin of animals that causes allergy and asthma, but the airborne saliva and urine-derived proteins, which is a major source of pet allergen.

According to Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, pet hair does not cause allergy, but it can collect dander (shed dead skin from the animals), which carries proteins that causes allergies.