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Maternal Microbiome in Fetal Programming: A One Health Perspective on Translational Implications for Early-Life
Mariarosaria Matera1,2, Valentina Biagioli3, Ilaria Cavecchia4
1Department of Pediatric Emergencies, Misericordia Hospital, 58100 Grosseto, Italy.
Microorganisms
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Pregnancy is a critical window where maternal microbiome integrates environmental factors to shape fetal development. Understanding this maternal microbiome
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Biology
- Microbiome Research
- Environmental Health
- One Health
Background:
- Pregnancy is a crucial period where maternal physiology interacts with environmental exposures, lifestyle, and microbial ecosystems.
- The maternal microbiome acts as a bridge between the external environment and the intrauterine space, influencing fetal development and long-term health.
- A One Health perspective emphasizes the interconnectedness of maternal health, environmental factors, and microbial ecosystems across generations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an integrated systems framework viewing pregnancy as a transient ecological system.
- To highlight the maternal microbiome as a central hub for intergenerational health.
- To explore how environmental inputs are transduced through maternal microbial networks influencing fetal development and early-life health.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on maternal microbiome, environmental exposures, and fetal development.
- Development of an integrated systems model for pregnancy as an ecological system.
- Analysis of microbiome-mediated signaling pathways affecting fetal and neonatal trajectories.
Main Results:
- Maternal microbial communities across various niches form an integrated network regulating key physiological processes.
- Ten interconnected maternal determinants shape the pregnancy ecosystem, converging on microbiome-mediated pathways.
- Broader environmental drivers significantly modulate maternal microbial ecology within a One Health context.
Conclusions:
- Pregnancy is an eco-biological continuum where the maternal microbiome plays a pivotal role in intergenerational health.
- The maternal microbiome translates ecological signals into pathways influencing placental function and developmental programming.
- Microbiome-informed strategies can aid in reducing the burden of early-life non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
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