Microbiome may predict preterm births
/Spontaneous Preterm Birth Clues Identified in Cervicovaginal Microbiome
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – A University of Pennsylvania and University of Maryland team has identified microbial community features and host immune features in the cervix and vagina that appear to coincide with spontaneous preterm birth risk.
Based on targeted sequence data and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) data that provided a look at cervicovaginal microbial community members and immune protein levels, respectively, in hundreds of women with or without preterm birth, the researchers pinned down half a dozen microbial community types and identified seven taxa with apparent ties to spontaneous preterm birth.
Together with host immune protein levels, the microbiome data provided clues to preterm birth biology, the authors noted in its study, out in Nature Communications today. Moreover, they suggested that it may eventually be possible to develop therapeutic approaches that tap into microbiome or immune features associated with the condition.
