title: Microbiota at Multiple Body Sites during Pregnancy in a Rural Tanzanian Population and Effects of Moringa-Supplemented Probiotic Yogurt.
abstract: The nutritional status of pregnant women is vital for healthy outcomes and is a concern for a large proportion of the world's population. The role of the microbiota in pregnancy and nutrition is a promising new area of study with potential health ramifications. In many African countries, maternal and infant death and morbidity are associated with malnutrition. Here, we assess the influence of probiotic yogurt containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1, supplemented with Moringa plant as a source of micronutrients, on the health and oral, gut, vaginal, and milk microbiotas of 56 pregnant women in Tanzania. In an open-label study design, 26 subjects received yogurt daily, and 30 were untreated during the last two trimesters and for 1 month after birth. Samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and dietary recalls were recorded. Women initially categorized as nourished or undernourished consumed similar calories and macronutrients, which may explain why there was no difference in the microbiota at any body site. Consumption of yogurt increased the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and decreased Enterobacteriaceae in the newborn feces but had no effect on the mother's microbiota at any body site. The microbiota of the oral cavity and GI tract remained stable over pregnancy, but the vaginal microbiota showed a significant increase in diversity leading up to and after birth. In summary, daily micronutrient-supplemented probiotic yogurt provides a safe, affordable food for pregnant women in rural Tanzania, and the resultant improvement in the gut microbial profile of infants is worthy of further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jordan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bisanz
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Megan K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Enos
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: PrayGod
authors.affiliation: Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seney
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Macklaim
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chilton
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Willner
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, BioFrontiers Institute, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fusch
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fusch
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Gregory B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Gloor
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada Department of Surgery, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jeremy P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada Department of Surgery, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada gregor@uwo.ca.
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D064307:Microbiota; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000382:microbiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D029587:Moringa; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011247:Pregnancy; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012424:Rural Population; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013636:Tanzania; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology; D015014:Yogurt
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S