Maternal inflammation is hard for offspring to stomach

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders often experience comorbid gastrointestinal distress and dysregulated immune responses, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this issue of Immunity, Kim et al. utilize a murine maternal immune activation model of autism and find that inflammation can alter the microbiota of mothers, which postnatally primes offspring CD4(+) T cells and increases susceptibility to intestinal inflammation.

Automated summary

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders often experience gastrointestinal distress and dysregulated immune responses. This study found that inflammation can alter the microbiota of mothers, leading to increased susceptibility to intestinal inflammation in their offspring.