Clinical characteristics influence cultivable-bacteria composition in the meconium of Indonesian neonates

A common trajectory of gut microbiome development during the first month in healthy neonates with limited inter-individual environmental variations

The early development of the gut microbiome is governed by multiple factors and has significantly long-term effects on later-in-life health. To minimize inter-individual variations in the environment, we determined developmental trajectories of the gut microbiome in 28 healthy neonates during their stay at a postpartum center. Stool samples were collected at three time points: the first-pass meconium within 24 h of life, and at 7 and 28 days of age. Illumina sequencing of the V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA was used to investigate microbiota profiles. We found that there was a distinct microbiota structure at each time point, with a significant shift during the first week. Proteobacteria was most abundant in the first-pass meconium; Firmicutes and Actinobacteria increased with age and were substituted as the major components. Except for a short-term influence of different delivery modes on the microbiota composition, early microbiome development was not remarkably affected by gravidity, maternal intrapartum antibiotic treatment, premature rupture of membranes, or postnatal phototherapy. Hence, our data showed a similar developmental trajectory of the gut microbiome during the first month in healthy neonates when limited in environmental variations. Environmental factors external to the host were crucial in the early microbiome development.

Metagenomic profiles of the early life microbiome of Indonesian inpatient neonates and their influence on clinical characteristics

Determining the initial normal neonatal gut microbiome is challenging. The debate regarding the sterile fetal environment is still ongoing. Therefore, studying and comparing normal and dysbiotic microbiomes requires the elucidation of both the fetal and infant microbiomes. Factors influencing the normal microbiome also include regional and genetic factors specific to different countries. Determining the normal microbiome population in our center and their association with the clinical conditions of infants is helpful as a tool for both the prevention and treatment of related diseases during neonatal care. Here, we employed metagenomic sequencing to characterize meconium and the subsequent early-life gut microbiome of preterm neonates in Jakarta, Indonesia. Microbiome diversity and complexity was higher in the meconium and on day 4 than on day 7. At the genus level, the most abundant genus overall was unidentified Enterobacteriaceae, with meconium samples dominated by Ureaplasma, day 4 fecal samples dominated by Staphylococcus, and day 7 samples dominated by Clostridiales, while at the phylum level the most abundant was Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Perinatal factors of PROM and mother’s diet influenced the meconium microbiome, while day 4 and day 7 microbiome was associated with bacteremia and early administration of antibiotics. One of our sample sets was derived from triplets, and they had varying diversity despite being triplets. These data are valuable for understanding the formation of a healthy microbiome specific to neonates and devising a strategy to improve both the gut health and related clinical outcomes of the neonate.