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Turunen J, Tejesvi MV, Paalanne N, Pokka T, Amatya SB, Mishra S, Kaisanlahti A, Reunanen J, Tapiainen T. Investigating prenatal and perinatal factors on meconium microbiota: a systematic review and cohort study. Pediatr Res 2024; 95:135-145. [PMID: 37591927 PMCID: PMC10798900 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-023-02783-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The first-pass meconium has been suggested as a proxy for the fetal gut microbiota because it is formed in utero. This systematic review and cohort study investigated how pre- and perinatal factors influence the composition of the meconium microbiota. METHODS We performed the systematic review using Covidence by searching PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases with the search terms "meconium microbiome" and "meconium microbiota". In the cohort study, we performed 16 S rRNA gene sequencing on 393 meconium samples and analyzed the sequencing data using QIIME2. RESULTS Our systematic review identified 69 studies exploring prenatal factors, immediate perinatal factors, and microbial composition in relation to subsequent health of infants but gave only limited comparative evidence regarding factors related to the composition of the meconium microbiota. The cohort study pointed to a low-biomass microbiota consisting of the phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota and the genera Staphylococcus, Escherichia-Shigella and Lactobacillus, and indicated that immediate perinatal factors affected the composition of the meconium microbiota more than did prenatal factors. CONCLUSIONS This finding supports the idea that the meconium microbiota mostly starts developing during delivery. IMPACT It is unclear when the first-pass meconium microbiota develops, and what are the sources of the colonization. In this systematic review, we found 69 studies exploring prenatal factors, immediate perinatal factors, and microbial composition relative to subsequent health of infants, but there was no consensus on the factors affecting the meconium microbiota development. In this cohort study, immediate perinatal factors markedly affected the meconium microbiota development while prenatal factors had little effect on it. As the meconium microbiota composition was influenced by immediate perinatal factors, the present study supports the idea that the initial gut microbiota develops mainly during delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenni Turunen
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
| | - Mysore V Tejesvi
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Ecology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Niko Paalanne
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
| | - Tytti Pokka
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Research Service Unit, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
| | - Sajeen Bahadur Amatya
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Research Unit of Translational Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Surbhi Mishra
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Research Unit of Translational Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Anna Kaisanlahti
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Research Unit of Translational Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Justus Reunanen
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Research Unit of Translational Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Terhi Tapiainen
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
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Leal Rodríguez C, Shah SA, Rasmussen MA, Thorsen J, Boulund U, Pedersen CET, Castro-Mejía JL, Poulsen CE, Poulsen CS, Deng L, Larsen FAN, Widdowson M, Zhang Y, Sørensen SJ, Moineau S, Petit MA, Chawes B, Bønnelykke K, Nielsen DS, Stokholm J. The infant gut virome is associated with preschool asthma risk independently of bacteria. Nat Med 2024; 30:138-148. [PMID: 38102298 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02685-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophage (also known as phage) communities that inhabit the gut have a major effect on the structure and functioning of bacterial populations, but their roles and association with health and disease in early life remain unknown. Here, we analyze the gut virome of 647 children aged 1 year from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood2010 (COPSAC2010) mother-child cohort, all deeply phenotyped from birth and with longitudinally assessed asthma diagnoses. Specific temperate gut phage taxa were found to be associated with later development of asthma. In particular, the joint abundances of 19 caudoviral families were found to significantly contribute to this association. Combining the asthma-associated virome and bacteriome signatures had additive effects on asthma risk, implying an independent virome-asthma association. Moreover, the virome-associated asthma risk was modulated by the host TLR9 rs187084 gene variant, suggesting a direct interaction between phages and the host immune system. Further studies will elucidate whether phages, alongside bacteria and host genetics, can be used as preclinical biomarkers for asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Leal Rodríguez
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Shiraz A Shah
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Morten Arendt Rasmussen
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
- Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jonathan Thorsen
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Ulrika Boulund
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Casper-Emil Tingskov Pedersen
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Christina Egeø Poulsen
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Casper Sahl Poulsen
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Ling Deng
- Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Michael Widdowson
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Yichang Zhang
- Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Søren J Sørensen
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sylvain Moineau
- Département de Biochimie, de Microbiologie, et de Bio-Informatique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Groupe de Recherche en Écologie Buccale, Faculté de Médecine Dentaire, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Félix d'Hérelle Reference Center for Bacterial Viruses, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-Agnès Petit
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, Agroparistech, Micalis Institute, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Bo Chawes
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Klaus Bønnelykke
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Dennis S Nielsen
- Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jakob Stokholm
- Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark.
- Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Montoya-Ciriaco N, Hereira-Pacheco S, Estrada-Torres A, Dendooven L, Méndez de la Cruz FR, Gómez-Acata ES, Díaz de la Vega-Pérez AH, Navarro-Noya YE. Maternal transmission of bacterial microbiota during embryonic development in a viviparous lizard. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0178023. [PMID: 37847033 PMCID: PMC10714757 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01780-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE We investigated the presence and diversity of bacteria in the embryos of the viviparous lizard Sceloporus grammicus and their amniotic environment. We compared this diversity to that found in the maternal intestine, mouth, and cloaca. We detected bacterial DNA in the embryos, albeit with a lower bacterial species diversity than found in maternal tissues. Most of the bacterial species detected in the embryos were also found in the mother, although not all of them. Interestingly, we detected a high similarity in the composition of bacterial species among embryos from different mothers. These findings suggest that there may be a mechanism controlling the transmission of bacteria from the mother to the embryo. Our results highlight the possibility that the interaction between maternal bacteria and the embryo may affect the development of the lizards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Montoya-Ciriaco
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Stephanie Hereira-Pacheco
- Estación Científica La Malinche, Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Arturo Estrada-Torres
- Estación Científica La Malinche, Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Luc Dendooven
- Laboratory of Soil Ecology, CINVESTAV, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fausto R. Méndez de la Cruz
- Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Elizabeth Selene Gómez-Acata
- Laboratorio de Interacciones Bióticas, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Aníbal H. Díaz de la Vega-Pérez
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Humanidades y Tecnología-Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala., Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Yendi E. Navarro-Noya
- Laboratorio de Interacciones Bióticas, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
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Turunen J, Tejesvi MV, Suokas M, Virtanen N, Paalanne N, Kaisanlahti A, Reunanen J, Tapiainen T. Bacterial extracellular vesicles in the microbiome of first-pass meconium in newborn infants. Pediatr Res 2023; 93:887-896. [PMID: 35945268 PMCID: PMC10033452 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-02242-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) are more likely to cross biological barriers than whole-cell bacteria. We previously observed EV-sized particles by electron microscopy in the first-pass meconium of newborn infants. We hypothesized that EVs may be of bacterial origin and represent a novel entity in the human microbiome during fetal and perinatal periods. METHODS We extracted EVs from first-pass meconium samples of 17 newborn infants and performed bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the vesicles. We compared the EV content from the meconium samples of infants based on the delivery mode, and in vaginal delivery samples, based on the usage of intrapartum antibiotics. RESULTS We found bacterial EVs in all first-pass meconium samples. All EV samples had bacterial RNA. Most of the phyla present in the samples were Firmicutes (62%), Actinobacteriota (18%), Proteobacteria (10%), and Bacteroidota (7.3%). The most abundant genera were Streptococcus (21%) and Staphylococcus (17%). The differences between the delivery mode and exposure to antibiotics were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Bacterial EVs were present in the first-pass meconium of newborn infants. Bacterial EVs may represent an important novel feature of the gut microbiome during fetal and perinatal periods. IMPACT We show that bacterial extracellular vesicles are present in the microbiome of first-pass meconium in newborn infants. This is a novel finding. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the presence of bacterial extracellular vesicles in the gut microbiome during fetal and perinatal periods. This finding is important because bacterial extracellular vesicles are more likely to cross biological barriers than whole-cell bacteria. Thus, the early gut microbiome may potentially interact with the host through bacterial EVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenni Turunen
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
| | - Mysore V Tejesvi
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Ecology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Marko Suokas
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Nikke Virtanen
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Research Unit of Translational Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Niko Paalanne
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
| | - Anna Kaisanlahti
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Research Unit of Translational Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Justus Reunanen
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Research Unit of Translational Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Terhi Tapiainen
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
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Necrotizing Enterocolitis: The Role of Hypoxia, Gut Microbiome, and Microbial Metabolites. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032471. [PMID: 36768793 PMCID: PMC9917134 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening disease that predominantly affects very low birth weight preterm infants. Development of NEC in preterm infants is accompanied by high mortality. Surgical treatment of NEC can be complicated by short bowel syndrome, intestinal failure, parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease, and neurodevelopmental delay. Issues surrounding pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of NEC remain unclear. This review summarizes data on prenatal risk factors for NEC, the role of pre-eclampsia, and intrauterine growth retardation in the pathogenesis of NEC. The role of hypoxia in NEC is discussed. Recent data on the role of the intestinal microbiome in the development of NEC, and features of the metabolome that can serve as potential biomarkers, are presented. The Pseudomonadota phylum is known to be associated with NEC in preterm neonates, and the role of other bacteria and their metabolites in NEC pathogenesis is also discussed. The most promising approaches for preventing and treating NEC are summarized.
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Mathews T, Hayer SS, Dinkel D, Hanish A, Poppert Cordts KM, Rasmussen H, Moore T. Maternal-Child Microbiome and Impact on Growth and Neurodevelopment in Infants and Children: A Scoping Review. Biol Res Nurs 2023:10998004221151179. [PMID: 36607703 DOI: 10.1177/10998004221151179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pathologic changes in the microbiome (dysbiosis) have been implicated in affecting the growth and neurodevelopment of infants and children. There is evidence to suggest that prenatal and postnatal stressors may be a factor in dysbiosis and there is also a growing body of evidence to suggest that interventions may reduce this negative impact. A scoping review was undertaken to identify association between maternal and/or child microbiome with child growth and neurodevelopment. Additionally, intervention studies such as use of nutritional supplementation and its impact on the microbiome, growth and neurodevelopment were reviewed. METHODS An exhaustive literature search identified 654 relevant citations. After review of abstracts, 557 were eliminated, and 97 remained for full text review. We identified and reported on 42 articles which met inclusion criteria. RESULTS Seven studies examined associations between microbiome and neurodevelopment and 36 studies evaluated anthropometric measurements, most commonly weight, and microbiota relationships. One study evaluated both growth and neurodevelopment and microbiota. Fourteen studies evaluated supplemental nutrients. Preterm, low birth weight (LBW), and very low birth weight (VLBW) infants were most studied. Findings were inconclusive for consistent associations between microbiota and growth and neurodevelopment. Further, there were no consistent conclusive changes with prescribed treatment interventions. DISCUSSION There is a need for high-quality longitudinal studies evaluating repeated developmental assessment measures using consistent microbial analysis techniques to inform conclusions regarding the association between microbiome and infant and child growth and neurodevelopment. Additional intervention studies that may mitigate dysbiosis are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Therese Mathews
- College of Nursing, 12284University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Shivdeep S Hayer
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, 169231University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Danae Dinkel
- School of Health and Kinesiology, 14720University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Alyson Hanish
- College of Nursing, 12284University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Katrina M Poppert Cordts
- College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 12284University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Heather Rasmussen
- College of Education & Human Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Tiffany Moore
- College of Nursing, 12284University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
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7
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Neves LL, Hair AB, Preidis GA. A systematic review of associations between gut microbiota composition and growth failure in preterm neonates. Gut Microbes 2023; 15:2190301. [PMID: 36927287 PMCID: PMC10026866 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2190301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Growth failure is among the most prevalent and devastating consequences of prematurity. Up to half of all extremely preterm neonates struggle to grow despite modern nutrition practices. Although elegant preclinical models suggest causal roles for the gut microbiome, these insights have not yet translated into biomarkers that identify at-risk neonates or therapies that prevent or treat growth failure. This systematic review aims to identify features of the neonatal gut microbiota that are positively or negatively associated with early postnatal growth. We identified 860 articles, of which 14 were eligible for inclusion. No two studies used the same definitions of growth, ages at stool collection, and statistical methods linking microbiota to metadata. In all, 58 different taxa were associated with growth, with little consensus among studies. Two or more studies reported positive associations with Enterobacteriaceae, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, and Veillonella, and negative associations with Citrobacter, Klebsiella, and Staphylococcus. Streptococcus was positively associated with growth in five studies and negatively associated with growth in three studies. To gain insight into how the various definitions of growth could impact results, we performed an exploratory secondary analysis of 245 longitudinally sampled preterm infant stools, linking microbiota composition to multiple clinically relevant definitions of neonatal growth. Within this cohort, every definition of growth was associated with a different combination of microbiota features. Together, these results suggest that the lack of consensus in defining neonatal growth may limit our capacity to detect consistent, meaningful clinical associations that could be leveraged into improved care for preterm neonates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa L. Neves
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Amy B. Hair
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Geoffrey A. Preidis
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
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8
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Kennedy KM, de Goffau MC, Perez-Muñoz ME, Arrieta MC, Bäckhed F, Bork P, Braun T, Bushman FD, Dore J, de Vos WM, Earl AM, Eisen JA, Elovitz MA, Ganal-Vonarburg SC, Gänzle MG, Garrett WS, Hall LJ, Hornef MW, Huttenhower C, Konnikova L, Lebeer S, Macpherson AJ, Massey RC, McHardy AC, Koren O, Lawley TD, Ley RE, O'Mahony L, O'Toole PW, Pamer EG, Parkhill J, Raes J, Rattei T, Salonen A, Segal E, Segata N, Shanahan F, Sloboda DM, Smith GCS, Sokol H, Spector TD, Surette MG, Tannock GW, Walker AW, Yassour M, Walter J. Questioning the fetal microbiome illustrates pitfalls of low-biomass microbial studies. Nature 2023; 613:639-649. [PMID: 36697862 PMCID: PMC11333990 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05546-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 122.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Whether the human fetus and the prenatal intrauterine environment (amniotic fluid and placenta) are stably colonized by microbial communities in a healthy pregnancy remains a subject of debate. Here we evaluate recent studies that characterized microbial populations in human fetuses from the perspectives of reproductive biology, microbial ecology, bioinformatics, immunology, clinical microbiology and gnotobiology, and assess possible mechanisms by which the fetus might interact with microorganisms. Our analysis indicates that the detected microbial signals are likely the result of contamination during the clinical procedures to obtain fetal samples or during DNA extraction and DNA sequencing. Furthermore, the existence of live and replicating microbial populations in healthy fetal tissues is not compatible with fundamental concepts of immunology, clinical microbiology and the derivation of germ-free mammals. These conclusions are important to our understanding of human immune development and illustrate common pitfalls in the microbial analyses of many other low-biomass environments. The pursuit of a fetal microbiome serves as a cautionary example of the challenges of sequence-based microbiome studies when biomass is low or absent, and emphasizes the need for a trans-disciplinary approach that goes beyond contamination controls by also incorporating biological, ecological and mechanistic concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Kennedy
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marcus C de Goffau
- Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Vascular Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Maria Elisa Perez-Muñoz
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Marie-Claire Arrieta
- International Microbiome Center, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Fredrik Bäckhed
- The Wallenberg Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Physiology, Region Västra Götaland, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peer Bork
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
- Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Yonsei Frontier Lab (YFL), Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Braun
- Department of Obstetrics and Experimental Obstetrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frederic D Bushman
- Department of Microbiology Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Joel Dore
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, MetaGenoPolis, AgroParisTech, MICALIS, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Willem M de Vos
- Human Microbiome Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ashlee M Earl
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan A Eisen
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- UC Davis Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Michal A Elovitz
- Maternal and Child Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Stephanie C Ganal-Vonarburg
- Universitätsklinik für Viszerale Chirurgie und Medizin, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for Biomedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael G Gänzle
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Wendy S Garrett
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard T.H. Chan Microbiome in Public Health Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine and Division of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lindsay J Hall
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- Chair of Intestinal Microbiome, ZIEL-Institute for Food and Health, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Mathias W Hornef
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, RWTH University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Curtis Huttenhower
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liza Konnikova
- Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sarah Lebeer
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Andrew J Macpherson
- Department for Biomedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ruth C Massey
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Alice Carolyn McHardy
- Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hannover Braunschweig site, Braunschweig, Germany
- Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Omry Koren
- Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Trevor D Lawley
- Department of Vascular Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ruth E Ley
- Department of Microbiome Science, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Liam O'Mahony
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Paul W O'Toole
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Eric G Pamer
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Julian Parkhill
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jeroen Raes
- VIB Center for Microbiology, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thomas Rattei
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anne Salonen
- Human Microbiome Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eran Segal
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Nicola Segata
- Department CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- European Institute of Oncology (IEO), IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Fergus Shanahan
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Deborah M Sloboda
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gordon C S Smith
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - Harry Sokol
- Gastroenterology Department, AP-HP, Saint Antoine Hospital, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, CRSA, INSERM and Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Paris Center for Microbiome Medicine (PaCeMM), Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire, Paris, France
- Micalis Institute, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Jouy en Josas, France
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Michael G Surette
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gerald W Tannock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Alan W Walker
- Gut Health Group, Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Moran Yassour
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Jens Walter
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
- School of Microbiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
- Department of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
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