Womb Echoes: Why Second Pregnancies Flourish and How Ageing Microbiomes Threaten Newborn Brains

When Biology Meets Inequality

Welcome to Pathocast In Review – S1. Ep7 – What if winter doesn’t just change the weather but also your microbiome? In this seventh and final episode, we explore how seasonal shifts shape gut microbial diversity, and why fermented foods consumed during colder months may reduce diversity in a beneficial and stabilising way. We then switch our focus to spotlight issues in public health, unpacking how socioeconomic conditions, such as maternal education, income level and wealth which are defined differently across regions, drive adverse birth outcomes, and how context-specific metrics can inform smarter, more equitable interventions to improve infant survival and lifelong health. Papers in Review: 1. Fermented foods affect the seasonal stability of gut bacteria in an Indian rural population (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56014-6 [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56014-6]). 2. The Global Network Socioeconomic Status Index as a predictor of stillbirths, perinatal mortality, and neonatal mortality in rural communities in low and lower middle income country sites of the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research (DOI: ⁠ [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02794-0]10.1371/journal.pone.0272712 [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272712]) Moderator: Zwile Zungu (@zwilezungu [https://www.instagram.com/zwilezungu/#]) Panelists: Janine Fredericks and Yashodani Pillay (@yashodani) Production: Zd Creations Creator: Immun-Vir JC Music: iLethu (@Mphephethwa_sa)

Womb Echoes: Why Second Pregnancies Flourish and How Ageing Microbiomes Threaten Newborn Brains

Welcome to Pathocast In Review – S1. Ep6 – The sixth instalment explore how maternal biology shapes the health and development of the next generation. We unpack the maternal immune mechanisms that support a successful pregnancy, focusing on the pivotal role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in preventing miscarriage and ensuring tolerance in subsequent pregnancies. We then shift to the maternal microbiome, examining emerging evidence on how a mother’s microbial community can influence the neurological development of her newborn. Intriguingly, we discuss research showing that microbiomes from older mothers may impart subtle developmental impairments. Papers in Review: 1. Pregnancy-acquired memory CD4+ regulatory T cells improvepregnancy outcome in mice (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61572-w [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61572-w]). 2. Maternal dysbiosis produces long-lasting behaviouralchanges in offspring (DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02794-0 [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02794-0]) Moderator: NelisaMakaleni (@nelly_saciar [https://www.instagram.com/nelly_saciar/]) Panelists: Blessing Moses (@emeraldeey [https://www.instagram.com/emeraldeey/]) and ValenciaChauke Production: Zd Creations Creator: Immun-Vir JC Music: iLethu (@Mphephethwa_sa)

Beyond the Years: How HIV and Obesity Rewire Ageing

Welcome to Pathocast In Review – S1. Ep5 - On this fifth instalment we explore new evidence showing how HIV infection accelerates biological ageing, not just in years lived, but deep in the molecular architecture of antibodies revealing that changes in antibody glycosylation can predict ageing long before clinical signs appear, offering a molecular window into how chronic inflammation reshapes immune function. We then turn to obesity, a condition now understood to reprogram adipose tissue in lasting ways. Even after weight loss, fat tissue retains a form of metabolic memory, driving inflammation and accelerated cellular senescence. But here’s the hopeful part, this ageing process can be partially reversed by weight loss.Papers in Review: 1. Immunoglobulin G N-glycan markers of accelerated biological aging during chronic HIV infection. (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47279-4 [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47279-4]). 2. Selective remodelling of the adipose niche in obesity and weight loss. (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09233-2 [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09233-2]). Moderator: Adijat Jimoh (@deejah_deej [https://www.instagram.com/deejah_deej/#]) Panelists: Wealth Okete (@de_dew001 [https://www.instagram.com/de_dew001/#]) and Sonwabile Dzanibe (@⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/nelly_saciar/]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/chevalsookram/]sonwa_dzanibe⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/gadisinth/]) Production: Zd Creations Creator: Immun-Vir JC Music: iLethu (@Mphephethwa_sa)

From Ageing Immunity to Infant Gut Resistome

Welcome to Pathocast In Review – S1. Ep4 - From AgeingImmunity to Infant Gut Resistome. On this fourth instalment, we unpack how ageing reshapes the immune landscape, where multi-omic profiling using single cell RNA-sequencing and mass cytometry reveals that CD8 T cells bear the brunt of age-related changes, while children show a surprising enrichment of cytotoxic B cells. Then, we turn to a longitudinal mother-infant analysis exploring factors that contribute to the development of infant gut resistome, yes the load of antibiotic-resistant genes, with Bifidobacterium being the key player in shaping the infant resistome, protecting against the accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and how early cessation of breastfeeding tips the balance in the wrong direction. Papers in Review: 1. Integrating single-cell RNA and T cell/B cell receptorsequencing with mass cytometry reveals dynamic trajectories of human peripheralimmune cells from birth to old age. (DOI: 10.1038/s41590-024-02059-6 [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-024-02059-6]). 2. Breastfeeding and early Bifidobacterium-driven microbialcolonization shape the infant gut resistome. (DOI: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2025.03.003]⁠⁠⁠ [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08796-4]⁠10.1038/s41467-025-61154-w⁠ [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45336-6]). Moderator: Rachael Gachogo Panelists: Zwile Zungu (@zwilezungu [https://www.instagram.com/zwilezungu/]) and Gadisi Nthambeleni(@⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/nelly_saciar/]⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/chevalsookram/] gadisinth [https://www.instagram.com/gadisinth/]) Production: Zd Creations Creator: Immun-Vir JC Music: iLethu (@Mphephethwa_sa)

Immune Harmony and Disruption: IgA in the Gut, and Gestational Diabetes Risks GBS

Welcome to Pathocast In Review – S1. Ep3 - Immune Harmony and Disruption: IgA in the Gut, and Gestational Diabetes Risks GBS. The third episode explores how secretory IgA shapes intestinal immune balance by limiting viral colonisation, and how its absence triggers a compensatory expansion of CD8 T cells. We also examine how gestational diabetes disrupts maternal immunity and alters the vaginal microbiota, amplifying the harmful effects of Group B Streptococcus colonisation during pregnancy. Papers in Review:1. Immunoglobulin A controls intestinal virus colonization to preserve immune homeostasis (DOI: ⁠⁠ [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57368-7]10.1016/j.chom.2025.03.004 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2025.03.004]). 2. Gestational diabetes augments group B Streptococcus infection by disrupting maternal immunity and the vaginal microbiota (DOI: ⁠⁠⁠ [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2025.03.003]⁠ [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08796-4]10.1038/s41467-024-45336-6 [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45336-6]⁠ [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08796-4]). Moderator: Wealth Okete (@wealthokete_) Panelists: Rachael Gachogo and Nelisa Makeleni (@nelly_saciar [https://www.instagram.com/nelly_saciar/#]⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/chevalsookram/#]) Production: Zd Creations Creator: Immun-Vir JC Music: iLethu (@Mphephethwa_sa)