title: Birth mode-dependent association between pre-pregnancy maternal weight status and the neonatal intestinal microbiome.
abstract: The intestinal microbiome is a unique ecosystem that influences metabolism in humans. Experimental evidence indicates that intestinal microbiota can transfer an obese phenotype from humans to mice. Since mothers transmit intestinal microbiota to their offspring during labor, we hypothesized that among vaginal deliveries, maternal body mass index is associated with neonatal gut microbiota composition. We report the association of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index on stool microbiota from 74 neonates, 18 born vaginally (5 to overweight or obese mothers) and 56 by elective C-section (26 to overweight or obese mothers). Compared to neonates delivered vaginally to normal weight mothers, neonates born to overweight or obese mothers had a distinct gut microbiota community structure (weighted UniFrac distance PERMANOVA, p < 0.001), enriched in Bacteroides and depleted in Enterococcus, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and Hydrogenophilus. We show that these microbial signatures are predicted to result in functional differences in metabolic signaling and energy regulation. In contrast, among elective Cesarean deliveries, maternal body mass index was not associated with neonatal gut microbiota community structure (weighted UniFrac distance PERMANOVA, p = 0.628). Our findings indicate that excess maternal pre-pregnancy weight is associated with differences in neonatal acquisition of microbiota during vaginal delivery, but not Cesarean delivery. These differences may translate to altered maintenance of metabolic health in the offspring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Noel T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Hakdong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program Sciences in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pizoni
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program Sciences in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Isabel C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Werlang
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Matte
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Translational Pediatrics, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil.|Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Goldani
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program Sciences in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil.|Laboratory of Translational Pediatrics, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil.|Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Helena A S
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Goldani
authors.affiliation: New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Maria Gloria
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Dominguez-Bello
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002585:Cesarean Section; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009765:Obesity / Q000382:microbiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000382:microbiology; D016742:Preconception Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000382:microbiology; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult