Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Assessing The Impact Of Pregnancy And Birth Factors On The Maternal And Infant Microbiota, Kait F. Al, Laura Allen, Samantha Bedell, Jeremy P. Burton, Barbra De Vrijer

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

Background: The microbiota acquired at birth is known to play an intimate role in later life health and disease and has been shown to be affected by the mode of birth. There has been recent interest in microbiota correction by maternal vaginal seeding in Cesarean section-born infants; however, the safety of this practice has been debated. The aim of this study was to assess how other factors, such as timing of sampling, maternal obesity, vaginal Group B Streptococcus colonization (GBS), and antibiotic exposure, affect the maternal and infant microbiota.

Methods: Maternal vaginal and saliva samples were collected at three time …