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Significance Microbial exposure in early life can have long-term consequences on health. However, our understanding of how the microbial environment shapes the offspring’s immune system is incomplete. In this report,… Click to show full abstract
Significance Microbial exposure in early life can have long-term consequences on health. However, our understanding of how the microbial environment shapes the offspring’s immune system is incomplete. In this report, we found that the proportion and function of fetal-derived CD8+ T cells are altered by the early microbial environment. These changes persist into adulthood and affect immune susceptibility to intracellular pathogens. Our findings provide key insights into how microbial exposure leads to individual variation in immune responsiveness, suggesting that we may be able to predict infection outcomes and disease risk based on the ratio of fetal- to adult-derived CD8+ T cells present in the adult immune system.
Journal Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Year Published: 2022
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