CONTRIBUTIONS OF PRENATAL INFECTION AND ANTIBIOTIC EXPOSURE TO OFFSPRING INFECTION AND ASTHMA RISK

Increasing evidence from both animal and human research implicates prenatal infection in the development of long-lasting disruptions in immune function of offspring, including an increased risk of infection and allergic disorders, such as asthma. Infection, specifically during early life, also has been repeatedly associated with subsequent risk of asthma in childhood. Moreover, antibiotic exposure, during both the pre- and post-natal period, has been linked with several of these immune-related health outcomes. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of maternal infection during pregnancy in relation to the development of offspring infection and subsequent asthma risk. Further, we considered the confounding factors of pre- and postnatal antibiotic exposure in the context of offspring infection and asthma inception. Participants (N=2062) were pregnant women and their offspring prospectively enrolled in a longitudinal birth cohort study with follow-up data through childhood. Extensive health information, including data on illness episodes and antibiotic exposures, was obtained from medical records for both mothers and their offspring. Results indicated that second trimester prenatal infection was associated with an increased risk of offspring infection from birth through age five. Both offspring infection and antibiotic exposure from birth through age five were significantly associated with a diagnosis of asthma in children at age five. Offspring infection was found to mediate the relationship between mothers’ second trimester infection and offspring asthma. Sensitivity analyses suggested that our results primarily were due to infections and not antibiotic use, given that findings were replicated when restricting analyses to samples of mothers and offspring without antibiotic exposure. These findings suggest fetal origins of offspring infection and asthma risk.

Grantor dc:publisher

Temple University. Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Murphy, Shannon

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Ellman, Lauren M.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Olino, Thomas
• Alloy, Lauren B.
• Bangasser, Debra A.
• Weinraub, Marsha
• Wimmer, Mathieu

• Clinical psychology
• Antibiotic
• Asthma
• Immune health
• Infection
• Pregnancy

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12613/267

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/267