Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 18, 2026
Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
Sex-specific impact of asthma during pregnancy on infant gut microbiota
Petya T Koleva1, Hein M Tun1, Theodore Konya2
1Dept of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Insights
Infants born to mothers with asthma had altered gut microbes. Male infants showed fewer lactobacilli, while female infants had more Bacteroidaceae, indicating sex-specific microbial changes.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Infant health
- Pregnancy complications
Background:
- Asthma during pregnancy is linked to sex-specific fetal growth issues.
- Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in infant development.
- Pregnancy asthma may impact the infant's gut microbial colonization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if maternal asthma during pregnancy reduces beneficial lactobacilli in infants.
- To determine if these microbial changes differ based on infant sex.
- To explore the relationship between maternal asthma, infant gut microbiota, and sex.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of infant fecal microbiota at 3-4 months using gene sequencing.
- Comparison of microbial abundance between infants of mothers with and without asthma during pregnancy.
- Statistical analysis accounting for covariates like birth mode, maternal pre-pregnancy weight, and infant sex.
Main Results:
- Male infants born to mothers with asthma had significantly lower levels of gut lactobacilli.
- Female infants showed an enrichment of Bacteroidaceae in their gut microbiota.
- Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and allergies exacerbated these sex-specific microbial differences.
Conclusions:
- Maternal asthma during pregnancy is associated with altered infant gut microbial composition in a sex-dependent manner.
- Reduced lactobacilli in males and increased Bacteroidaceae in females suggest distinct microbial responses.
- These findings highlight the impact of maternal health on infant microbiome development and potential implications for infant health outcomes.
Abstract:
Asthma during pregnancy is associated with retardation of fetal growth in a sex-specific manner. Lactobacilli microbes influence infant growth. This study aimed to determine whether lactobacilli and other microbes are reduced in the gut of infants born to an asthmatic mother, and whether this differs by the sex of the infant.Mother-infant pairs (N=1021) from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development full-term cohort were studied. The abundance of infant faecal microbiota at 3-4 months, profiled by gene sequencing, was compared between both women with and without asthma treatment during pregnancy. Infant sex, maternal ethnicity, pre-pregnancy overweight and atopy status, birth mode, breastfeeding status and intrapartum antibiotic treatment were tested as covariates.Independent of birth mode and other covariates, male, Caucasian infants born to women with prenatal asthma harboured fewer lactobacilli in the gut at 3-4 months of age. If asthmatic mothers had pre-pregnancy overweight, the abundance of Lactobacillus in males was further reduced in the infant gut, whereas the microbiota of female infants was enriched with Bacteroidaceae Similar differences in infant gut microbial composition according to maternal prenatal asthma status were also more evident among women with food or environmental allergies.Gut lactobacilli were less abundant in male infants, but Bacteroidaceae were more abundant in female infants at 3-4 months of age, following maternal asthma during pregnancy.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:29Asthma-I: Introduction
01:23Upper Respiratory Drugs: Antitussives, Expectorants, and Mucolytics
Antitussives include codeine, dextromethorphan (Robitussin), and benzonatate (Tessalon). Codeine and dextromethorphan exert their effects centrally by suppressing the cough reflex center in the medulla. Benzonatate operates peripherally within the respiratory tract by...
01:23Anatomy of the Intestines
Small Intestines
The small intestine is an ~7 meter-long tube with an inner diameter of just 2.5 cm. Since most nutrients are absorbed here, the inner lining of the...
01:20Asthma: Pathogenesis and Management
Asthma is classified as allergic and non-allergic. Allergens such as dust mites, pollen, and pet dander trigger allergic asthma, while factors like cold air, intense emotions, or exercise can induce non-allergic asthma.
01:26Asthma-II: Pathophysiology and Classification
Additionally, environmental and genetic factors play crucial roles in determining an individual's susceptibility to asthma and the severity of their condition.
Critical processes in asthma pathophysiology include:
01:22Development of Immunocompetence
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...