Compositions and methods for the treatment of allergy

1. A method of treating a food allergy, comprising

orally administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising a purified bacterial mixture consisting of 7 bacterial strains each comprising one of 16S rDNA sequences having at least 99.5% sequence identity to SEQ ID NOs: 1-5, 7, and 8, wherein there is 1 strain comprising each of the 16S rDNA sequences having at least 99.5% sequence identity to SEQ ID NOs: 1-5, 7, and 8.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subject is administered an antibiotic prior to administration of the composition.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the antibiotic is vancomycin.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the food allergy is selected from the group consisting of a nut allergy, a fish allergy, a wheat allergy, a milk allergy, a peanut allergy, a tree nut allergy, a shellfish allergy, a soy allergy, a seed allergy, a sesame seed allergy, and an egg allergy.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the food allergy is a peanut allergy.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the bacterial strains are in spore form.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the bacterial strains are lyophilized.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein all of the bacterial strains are lyophilized.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the bacterial strains are spray-dried.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein all of the bacterial strains are spray-dried.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bacterial strains originate from more than one human donor.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is in the form of a capsule.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises one or more enteric polymers.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises one or more adjuvants.

15. The method of claim 3 , wherein vancomycin is administered in 4 doses of 125 mg vancomycin per day for 5 days.