Maternal allergic asthma during pregnancy alters fetal lung and immune development in sheep: potential mechanisms for programming asthma and allergy

Key points Experimental maternal allergic asthma in sheep provides an experimental model in which to test impacts on progeny. Fetuses from allergic asthmatic ewes had fewer surfactant‐producing cells in lungs. A greater proportion of lymphocytes from thymus were CD44 positive in fetuses from allergic asthmatic ewes than in controls. These changes to fetal development might contribute to poor neonatal lung function and increased risk of allergy...