Accelerating the aging trajectory through prenatal adversity

Pneumonia in mid- to late-life is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and dementia. More than 30 percent of older adults who are hospitalized for pneumonia will develop dementia or become cognitively impaired earlier than expected. Examining pneumonia in a murine model, the first phase of this study found that maternal obesity increased the susceptibility to lung infection in neonatal offspring, and that obese dam’s offspring also demonstrated increased bacterial colony-forming units in the lungs and spleen during the peak of pneumonia infection. Thirty days after infection, the early-life adversity animals also showed increased intestinal permeability. Together these results suggest an increased susceptibility to infection.