Feb 03, 2014 11:46 AM EST By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

The more common colds and viral infections a woman has during pregnancy, the higher the risk of her baby having asthma, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) found that a mother's infections and bacterial exposure during pregnancy affect the in utero environment, increasing a baby's risks of developing allergy and asthma in childhood, according to a press release.

Maternal atopy and infections, and bacterial exposure in pregnancy or early life may act as immunomodulators enhancing or inhibiting the development of asthma and atopy in childhood.

"In addition, these same children that had early exposure to allergens, such as house dust and pet dander, had increased odds of becoming sensitized by age five," allergist Mitch Grayson of ACAAI said in a statement. "When dust mites from the mother and child's mattresses were examined, children with high dust mite exposure yet low bacteria exposure were more likely to be allergic to dust mites than those with low mite exposure and high bacteria contact."

For the study, researchers examined 513 pregnant women in Germany, and their 526 children. The participants completed questionnaires during pregnancy, when the children were three and 12 months old, and every year until their children turned five years old.

Researchers also found that 61 percent of children have a parent with asthma, hay fever or atopic dermatitis.

Based on the study, if one of the parents is allergic, or if a close relative has allergies, the child has a 30 to 40 percent chance of having some form of allergy. If neither parent has allergy, the chance is only 10 to 15 percent, researchers said in a press release.

"We know that allergy and asthma can develop in the womb since genetics play a factor in both diseases," Michael Foggs, president of ACAAI, said in a statement. "But this study sheds light about how a mother's environment during pregnancy can begin affecting the child before birth."

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