Protection against neonatal respiratory viral infection via maternal treatment during pregnancy with the benign immune training agent OM‐85

Abstract

Incomplete maturation of immune regulatory functions at birth is antecedent to the heightened risk for severe respiratory infections during infancy. Our forerunner animal model studies demonstrated that maternal treatment with the microbial‐derived immune training agent OM‐85 during pregnancy promotes accelerated postnatal maturation of mechanisms that regulate inflammatory processes in the offspring airways. Here, we aimed to provide proof of concept for a novel solution to reduce the burden and potential long‐term sequelae of severe early‐life respiratory viral infection through maternal oral treatment during pregnancy with OM‐85, already in widespread human clinical use.