Parity influences on the infant gut microbiome development: a longitudinal cohort study

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Maternal and infant health
• Longitudinal cohort studies

Background:

• Maternal parity (number of pregnancies) is known to influence the maternal gut microbiome.
• The longitudinal impact of maternal parity on the infant gut microbiome is not well understood.
• Understanding these dynamics is crucial for infant health and development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the longitudinal effects of maternal parity on the infant gut microbiome.
• To determine if delivery mode (vaginal delivery vs. Cesarean section) modifies the parity-infant microbiome relationship.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal cohort study of 746 infants.
• Serial infant stool samples collected at 2, 6, 12, and 24 months.
• 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing to analyze microbiome composition and diversity.
• Mothers stratified by parity (1-7+ pregnancies).

Main Results:

• No significant differences in alpha diversity were observed based on parity.
• Significant differences in infant gut microbiome composition (beta diversity) were associated with parity through the first year of life (p < 0.001).
• Delivery mode was a significant factor at 2 months (p = 0.002). Parity effects persisted up to 6 months in vaginally delivered infants but were absent in Cesarean-section delivered infants.

Conclusions:

• Maternal parity significantly shapes the early infant gut microbiome composition.
• Cesarean delivery appears to attenuate the influence of parity on the infant microbiome, potentially due to reduced microbial transfer from mother to infant.
• Parity should be considered in longitudinal infant microbiome analyses.