Maternal microbiomes in preterm birth: Recent progress and analytical pipelines

Worldwide, 10% of babies are born preterm, defined as birth before 37 weeks' gestation. We have had little success in developing strategies to prevent preterm births, the majority of which are due to infection or are idiopathic. An emerging hypothesis is that the maternal microbiome —the bacteria that inhabit the mother's body and play vital functions in normal health—contributes to the etiology of preterm birth. Here, we highlight the latest data revealing correlations between preterm birth and maternal intestinal, vaginal, cervical, and placental microbiomes.

Source: Seminars in Perinatology - August 17, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Lindsay A. Parnell, Catherine M. Briggs, Indira U. Mysorekar Source Type: research