Current Microbiology

, Volume 51, Issue 4, pp 270–274

Isolation of Commensal Bacteria from Umbilical Cord Blood of Healthy Neonates Born by Cesarean Section

  • Esther Jiménez
  • Leonides Fernández
  • María L. Marín
  • Rocío Martín
  • Juan M. Odriozola
  • Carmen Nueno-Palop
  • Arjan Narbad
  • Mónica Olivares
  • Jordi Xaus
  • Juan M. Rodríguez
Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

In a previous study, lactic acid bacteria were isolated from meconium obtained from healthy neonates born by cesarean section. Such a finding suggested that term fetuses are not completely sterile, and that a mother-to-child efflux of commensal bacteria may exist. Therefore, presence of such bacteria in umbilical cord blood of healthy neonates born by elective cesarean section was investigated. The blood samples were submitted to an enrichment step and then inoculated onto agar plates. All the identified isolates belonged to the genus Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, or Propionibacterium. Later, a group of pregnant mice were orally inoculated with a genetically labeled E. faecium strain previously isolated from breast milk of a healthy woman. The labeled strain could be isolated and polymerase chain reaction detected from the amniotic fluid of the inoculated animals. In contrast, it could not be detected in the samples obtained from a noninoculated control group.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2005

Authors and Affiliations

  • Esther Jiménez
    • 1
  • Leonides Fernández
    • 1
  • María L. Marín
    • 1
  • Rocío Martín
    • 1
  • Juan M. Odriozola
    • 2
  • Carmen Nueno-Palop
    • 3
  • Arjan Narbad
    • 3
  • Mónica Olivares
    • 4
  • Jordi Xaus
    • 4
  • Juan M. Rodríguez
    • 1
  1. 1.Departamento de Nutrición, Bromatología y Tecnología de los AlimentosUniversidad ComplutenseMadridSpain
  2. 2.Servicio de ObstetriciaHospital Universitario Doce de OctubreMadridSpain
  3. 3.Food Safety Science DivisionInstitute of Food ResearchNorwichUK
  4. 4.Department of ImmunologyPuleva BiotechGranadaSpain

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