AUTHOR=Kumar Manoj , Saadaoui Marwa , Al Khodor Souhaila 

TITLE=Infections and Pregnancy: Effects on Maternal and Child Health

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.873253

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2022.873253

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=Pregnancy causes physiological and immunological adaptations that allow the mother and fetus to communicate with precision and promotes a healthy pregnancy. At the same time, these adaptations may make pregnant women more susceptible to infections, resulting in a variety of pregnancy complications, or they may be vertically transmitted to the fetus, resulting in adverse pregnancy outcomes. Even though the placenta has developed a robust microbial defense to restrict vertical microbial transmission, certain microbial pathogens have evolved mechanisms to avoid the placental barrier and cause congenital disease. Recent mechanistic studies have begun to uncover the striking role of maternal microbiota in pregnancy outcomes. In this review, we discuss how microbial pathogens overcome the placental barrier to cause congenital disease. A better understanding of the placental control of fetal infection should provide new insights into future translational research.