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Updated: May 28, 2026

An Intestinal Gut Organ Culture System for Analyzing Host-Microbiota Interactions
05:27

An Intestinal Gut Organ Culture System for Analyzing Host-Microbiota Interactions

Published on: June 30, 2021

Integrative analysis of oral microbiota and its gut transmission with host immunity in term pregnancy

Ting Huang1,2, Xiaomei Tang2,3, Huijuan Luo2,3

  • 1Department of Obstetrics, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, China.

NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes
|May 26, 2026
PubMed

This study aims to evaluate associations between the oral microbiota, metabolites, potential oral-gut transmitted microbes, and systemic immune alterations in term pregnancy. Oral and gut microbiomes, salivary metabolome, peripheral immune cells, and cytokines were profiled in term pregnant (n = 25) and non-pregnant women (n = 25). Species enriched in pregnancy, including Streptococcus anginosus and Prevotella denticola, correlated positively with the NK cell ratio, while Prevotella histicola and Prevotella micans correlated positively with CD56brightCD16- NK cells. Mediation analysis indicated that fatty acids in saliva may not mediate the impact of oral microbiota on peripheral immune changes during pregnancy. Several potential oral-gut transmitted microbes with a higher maternal transfer ratio were positively associated with CD56brightCD16- NK cells and the NK cell ratio, but negatively with Th1 cells and the Th1/Th2 ratio. These findings provide preliminary evidence that pregnancy-related immune shifts may be linked to oral microbiota alterations and microbial transmission.

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