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Updated: Sep 22, 2025

A Murine Model of Fetal Exposure to Maternal Inflammation to Study the Effects of Acute Chorioamnionitis on Newborn Intestinal Development
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Published on: June 24, 2020

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Immune-microbe interactions early in life: A determinant of health and disease long term

Petter Brodin1,2,3

  • 1Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 26, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Newborn immunity involves maternal factors, but postnatal environmental adaptation is key. Mismatches in early life environments disrupt immune-microbe interactions, increasing immune-mediated disease risk.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Newborn immunity research highlights cell ontogeny, feto-maternal tolerance, and maternal antibody transfer.
  • Postnatal adaptation to environmental exposures and the establishment of immune-microbe mutualism remain poorly understood.
  • Increasing incidences of immune-mediated disorders like allergies and autoimmunity correlate with environmental changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current understanding of immune development, focusing on postnatal adaptation.
  • To explore the origins and maintenance of immune-microbe mutualism.
  • To propose environmental mismatch as a cause for immune dysregulation and disease.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of research on newborn immunity, environmental exposures, and the microbiome.
  • Synthesis of findings on immune development and immune-microbe interactions.
  • Theoretical framework proposing environmental mismatches as a cause of immune dysregulation.

Main Results:

  • Established knowledge on innate and adaptive immunity in newborns.
  • Identified gaps in understanding postnatal immune adaptation and microbiome establishment.
  • Proposed a link between environmental changes and immune-mediated diseases.

Conclusions:

  • Mismatches between ancestral, early-life, and adult environments likely disrupt immune-microbe interactions.
  • This disruption leads to immune dysregulation and increased risk of immune-mediated diseases.
  • Further research is needed to understand and mitigate these environmental influences on immune health.

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