There is renewed hope for many children with severe and life-threatening allergies, following the results from a clinical trial in Australia. Researchers recruited 60 children with a peanut allergy to receive either a daily dose of a probiotic together with peanut protein, or a placebo over a period of 18 months. The amount of the probiotic given daily remained the same, while the dose of peanut protein was gradually increased over the trial period. At the end of the study, all the children were given a peanut challenge test. Results showed that 23 out of the 28 children who had received the treatment were able to tolerate peanuts at the end of the trial, compared to only one child (out of 28) in the placebo group. The researchers described the results as extremely exciting. They believe the treatment is able to modify the allergic response to peanuts. Further work is planned to confirm how long the benefits last for the children.