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Published on: January 27, 2019
Effect of Intrapartum Antibiotics Prophylaxis on the Bifidobacterial Establishment within the Neonatal Gut
Silvia Saturio1,2, Marta Suárez2,3, Leonardo Mancabelli4
1Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain.
Insights
Intrapartum antibiotics prophylaxis (IAP) significantly impacts infant gut bifidobacteria. This practice alters both the quantity and diversity of these crucial early-life microbes.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Neonatal Health
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Antibiotics disrupt intestinal microbiota, impacting immune and metabolic development.
- Intrapartum antibiotics prophylaxis (IAP) is common, affecting over 30% of births.
- Limited understanding exists regarding IAP's specific effects on early-life Bifidobacterium populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To qualitatively and quantitatively analyze Bifidobacterium (sub)species in infants exposed to IAP.
- To investigate the impact of IAP on the establishment and composition of bifidobacterial populations in early life.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of fecal samples from 43 healthy full-term infants at 2, 10, 30, and 90 days of life.
- Utilized 16S rRNA-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing for relative proportions.
- Employed quantitative PCR (q-PCR) for absolute levels of bifidobacterial populations.
Main Results:
- IAP significantly affected bifidobacterial populations at both quantitative and qualitative levels.
- The study observed increased Bifidobacterium diversity in infants exposed to IAP.
- Significant compositional changes in bifidobacterial species were noted following IAP.
Conclusions:
- IAP alters the establishment of infant gut bifidobacteria, impacting both quantity and diversity.
- Findings highlight specific Bifidobacterium targets for developing microbiota-based interventions.
- Interventions may be crucial for promoting proper bifidobacterial development when IAP is necessary.
Abstract:
Antibiotics are important disruptors of the intestinal microbiota establishment, linked to immune and metabolic alterations. The intrapartum antibiotics prophylaxis (IAP) is a common clinical practice that is present in more than 30% of labours, and is known to negatively affect the gut microbiota composition. However, little is known about how it affects to Bifidobacterium (sub)species level, which is one of the most important intestinal microbial genera early in life. This study presents qualitative and quantitative analyses of the bifidobacterial (sub)species populations in faecal samples, collected at 2, 10, 30 and 90 days of life, from 43 healthy full-term babies, sixteen of them delivered after IAP use. This study uses both 16S rRNA-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing and q-PCR techniques for the analyses of the relative proportions and absolute levels, respectively, of the bifidobacterial populations. Our results show that the bifidobacterial populations establishment is affected by the IAP at both quantitative and qualitative levels. This practice can promote higher bifidobacterial diversity and several changes at a compositional level. This study underlines specific targets for developing gut microbiota-based products for favouring a proper bifidobacterial microbiota development when IAP is required.
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