Maternal Microbiota Impacts Offspring Immune System

This activity analyzes a published scientific figure from a study assessing if the microbiota from a mother affects the immune systems of the developing offspring.

In this study, scientists compared the offspring from two populations of pregnant mice. One population was kept germ-free throughout pregnancy, while the other was exposed to a strain of E. coli bacteria. The figure shows the offspring’s numbers of an innate immune cell, known as NKp46+ ILC3, after birth. Closed circles represent the offspring of mothers that were exposed to E. coli during pregnancy (“Gestational colonization”). Open circles represent the offspring of mothers that remained germ-free throughout pregnancy (“Control”).

The “Educator Materials” document includes a captioned figure, background information, graph interpretation, and discussion questions. The “Student Handout” includes a captioned figure and background information.