Transmission of Maternal Oral Pathobionts to the Infant Gut Predisposes Offspring to Exacerbated Enteritis

Infants acquire maternal microbes from various body sites, which become early colonizers of the infant gut. Consequently, disruption of healthy maternal microbiota can influence the composition of offsprings gut microbiota and affect their health outcomes. However, the effects of non gut maternal microbes on infant health and disease remain largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that maternal oral dysbiosis can have lasting health impacts on offspring. Ligature induced periodontitis in mothers promotes the expansion of oral pathobionts, including Klebsiella aerogenes, in the mouth, which are transmitted to the infant gut, increasing inflammatory T cell subsets and rendering offspring more susceptible to T cell dependent enteritis. Notably, although these maternal oral pathobionts are eradicated as the microbiota matures, the imprinted susceptibility to enteritis persists into adulthood. Thus, maternal oral dysbiosis not only alters the early gut microbiota of infants but may also have long term health implications for offspring.