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Published on: April 21, 2015
Intergenerational transfer of antibiotic-perturbed microbiota enhances colitis in susceptible mice
Anjelique F Schulfer1,2, Thomas Battaglia3, Yelina Alvarez3
1Department of Microbiology NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Insights
Maternal antibiotic exposure can alter the gut microbiome, increasing offspring
Area of Science:
- Microbiome Research
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Pathogenesis
- Maternal-Offspring Health
Background:
- Antibiotic exposure in children is linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) risk.
- Maternal antibiotic use may impact infant gut microbiome development.
- The transmission of antibiotic-altered maternal microbiota to offspring warrants investigation for IBD risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if antibiotic-perturbed maternal microbiota transmission affects offspring's IBD risk.
- To determine the long-term stability of maternally transmitted dysbiotic microbiota in offspring.
- To assess the combined influence of maternal microbiota inoculum and offspring genotype on disease development.
Main Methods:
- Germ-free pregnant mice were inoculated with antibiotic-perturbed or control gut microbial communities.
- Microbiota composition in mothers and offspring was tracked over 21 weeks.
- IL-10-deficient (colitis-susceptible) and wild-type mice were used to model IBD risk.
Main Results:
- Antibiotic-perturbed microbiota was transmitted from mothers to offspring with high fidelity.
- Dysbiotic microbiota persisted in offspring for at least 21 weeks without direct antibiotic exposure.
- IL-10-deficient offspring receiving the perturbed microbiota exhibited significantly increased colitis severity.
Conclusions:
- Antibiotic-induced alterations in the maternal gut microbiota can be transmitted to offspring.
- This transmission leads to persistent dysbiosis and increased susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease.
- Findings highlight the long-term ecological and disease consequences of maternal microbiota perturbation.
Abstract:
Antibiotic exposure in children has been associated with the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Antibiotic use in children or in their pregnant mother can affect how the intestinal microbiome develops, so we asked whether the transfer of an antibiotic-perturbed microbiota from mothers to their children could affect their risk of developing IBD. Here we demonstrate that germ-free adult pregnant mice inoculated with a gut microbial community shaped by antibiotic exposure transmitted their perturbed microbiota to their offspring with high fidelity. Without any direct or continued exposure to antibiotics, this dysbiotic microbiota in the offspring remained distinct from controls for at least 21 weeks. By using both IL-10-deficient and wild-type mothers, we showed that both inoculum and genotype shape microbiota populations in the offspring. Because IL10-/- mice are genetically susceptible to colitis, we could assess the risk due to maternal transmission of an antibiotic-perturbed microbiota. We found that the IL10-/- offspring that had received the perturbed gut microbiota developed markedly increased colitis. Taken together, our findings indicate that antibiotic exposure shaping the maternal gut microbiota has effects that extend to the offspring, with both ecological and long-term disease consequences.
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