The role of IBD in the fungal microbiota transmission from pregnant women to the offspring.

The intestines are home to a community of not only bacteria, but also fungi, which are involved in several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, including IBD. It is unknown how fungi appear in the intestine and whether they are part of the intestinal microflora early in life. In this project, we will explore whether gut fungi can be transferred from mother to the newborn. We will further study the composition of the fungal community in babies born to mothers with IBD to understand whether specific fungi can be transferred from the mother to the babies and potentially contributing to disease later in life.