Congratulations to Platform 2 Lead Dr. Anita Kozyrskyj on this recent publication!
Abstract
Maternal pre‐postnatal psychosocial distress increases the risk for childhood allergic disease. This may occur through a host immunity pathway that involves intestinal secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA). Experimental animal models show changes in the gut microbiome and immunity of offspring when exposed to direct or prenatal maternal stress, but little is known in humans.
Despite improved mood postpartum and independent of breastfeeding status, mothers experiencing antepartum depressive symptoms delivered offspring who exhibited lower fecal sIgA concentrations especially in later infancy. The implications of lowered sIgA concentrations in infant stool are altered microbe‐sIgA interactions, greater risk for C difficile colonization and atopic disease in later years.
Publication:Maternal psychological distress before birth influences gut immunity in mid-infancy. Kang LJ, Vu KN, Koleva PT, Field CJ, Chow A, Azad MB, Becker AB, Mandhane PJ, Moraes TJ, Sears MR, Lefebvre DL, Turvey SE, Subbarao P, Lou WYW, Scott JA, Kozyrskyj AL. Clinical & Experimental Allergy. 16 December 2019.
