Newborn gut infection disrupts the gut-brain communication system through immune sensors and changed nerve-immune signals

Neonatal mice infected at postnatal day 7 showed significant long-term neurological and inflammatory deficits.

• Intestinal inflammation was observed in infected mice, with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and immune cell infiltration.
• Infected wild-type mice experienced a loss of myenteric neurons, while NOD1 conditional knockout mice did not.
• Long-term effects included increased intestinal permeability, sustained inflammation, neuroinflammation, altered neurogenesis, and impaired memory recognition in infected mice.
• Bioactive peptidoglycan fragments from probiotic Lactobacillus strains were found to reduce inflammation and neuron loss in infected mice without affecting bacterial levels.
• The findings suggest that IEC NOD1 signaling is crucial for the long-term impact of early-life enteric infections on the gut-brain axis.

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