Intestinal microbiota is different in women with preterm birth: results from terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

Arihiro Shiozaki,Genichiro Seo,Shigeru Saito,Satoshi Yoneda,Noriko Yoneda,Rika Yonezawa,Takamichi Matsubayashi,Ana C Zenclussen

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111374

Arihiro Shiozaki, Genichiro Seo + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111374

Copy DOI

Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Nov 5, 2014
Citations: 66	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Toyama, Toa Pharmaceutical (Japan)

Abstract

Preterm birth is a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Studies using a cultivation method or molecular identification have shown that bacterial vaginosis is one of the risk factors for preterm birth. However, an association between preterm birth and intestinal microbiota has not been reported using molecular techniques, although the vaginal microbiota changes during pregnancy. Our aim here was to clarify the difference in intestinal and vaginal microbiota between women with preterm birth and women without preterm labor. 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid genes were amplified from fecal and vaginal DNA by polymerase chain reaction. Using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), we compared the levels of operational taxonomic units of both intestinal and vaginal flora among three groups: pregnant women who delivered term babies without preterm labor (non-PTL group) (n = 20), those who had preterm labor but delivered term babies (PTL group) (n = 11), and those who had preterm birth (PTB group) (n = 10). Significantly low levels of Clostridium subcluster XVIII, Clostridium cluster IV, Clostridium subcluster XIVa, and Bacteroides, and a significantly high level of Lactobacillales were observed in the intestinal microbiota in the PTB group compared with those in the non-PTL group. The levels of Clostridium subcluster XVIII and Clostridium subcluster XIVa in the PTB group were significantly lower than those in the PTL group, and these levels in the PTL group were significantly lower than those in non-PTL group. However, there were no significant differences in vaginal microbiota among the three groups. Intestinal microbiota in the PTB group was found to differ from that in the non-PTL group using the T-RFLP method.

Highlights

We harbor more than 100 trillion microbes in and on our body and these microbes constitute our microbiota [1,2]
Because of its relative simplicity, TRFLP analysis has been applied to the analysis of bacterial 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) genes and provides a facile means to assess changes in microbial communities [17]. In this prospective and cross-sectional study using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis, we examined bacterium-derived 16S rRNA genes in feces and vaginal discharge to determine whether the microbiota differs among three groups as follows: pregnant women who delivered term babies without preterm labor, those who had preterm labor but delivered term babies (PTL group), and those who had preterm birth (PTB group)
It was revealed that the levels of Clostridium cluster XVIII, Clostridium cluster IV, Clostridium subcluster XIVa, and Bacteroides were significantly reduced in the fecal microbiota from the Preterm birth (PTB) group

Summary

Introduction

We harbor more than 100 trillion microbes in and on our body and these microbes constitute our microbiota [1,2]. Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality in developing and developed countries [9]. The frequency of preterm births is about 12 to 13% in the USA and 5 to 9% in many other developed countries including Japan. Spontaneous PTB is regarded as a syndrome resulting from multiple causes, including intrauterine infection or inflammation, stress, socioeconomic environment, and uterine over-distension. Risk factors for PTB in Western countries include a previous preterm birth, black ethnicity, periodontal disease, low maternal body mass index, short cervical length, and an elevated cervicalvaginal fetal fibronectin concentration, while multiple pregnancy, short cervical length, part-time worker, steroid use for asthma or collagen disease, low educational level, and male fetus were shown to be risk factors for PTB in Japan [10]. Antibiotic treatment can eradicate bacterial vaginosis (BV) in pregnancy, the overall risk of PTB in pregnant women with BV was found not to be significantly reduced by antibiotic treatment [11]

Methods

Results

Conclusion