Fetal exposures and perinatal influences on the stool microbiota of premature infants
Year: 2014
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that maternal complications significantly affect gut colonization patterns in very low birth weight infants. METHODS: Forty-nine serial stool samples were obtained weekly from nine extremely premature infants enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study. Sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene from stool samples was performed to approximate the intestinal microbiome. Linear mixed effects models were used to evaluate relationships between perinatal complications and intestinal microbiome development. RESULTS: Subjects with prenatal exposure to a non-sterile intrauterine environment, i.e. prolonged preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPPROM) and chorioamnionitis exposure, were found to have a relatively higher abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria in the stool across all time points compared to subjects without those exposures, irrespective of exposure to postnatal antibiotics. Compared with those delivered by Caesarean section, vaginally delivered subjects were found to have significantly lower diversity of stool microbiota across all time points, with lower abundance of many genera, most in the family Enterobacteriaceae. CONCLUSIONS: We identified persistently increased potential pathogen abundance in the developing stool microbiota of subjects exposed to a non-sterile uterine environment. Maternal complications appear to significantly influence the diversity and bacterial composition of the stool microbiota of premature infants, with findings persisting over time.
Language: English
Topic: Gut microbiota and health
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Research Resources, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Awards: G1271911877, Center for Molecular Epidemiology, G2260538961, G251432533, G2676936577, G2884123220, G2916098388, G2930326278, G2981727446, G3329380511, G4212485709, The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Ulcerative Colitis, G7423465331, Heartland Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (NH-INBRE), G960423018
OpenAlex ID: W2055790583