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Vaginal microbiota in pregnancy: Role in induction of labor and seeding the neonate’s microbiota?

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Abstract

Compared to other human microbiota, vaginal microbiota is fairly simple with low bacterial diversity and high relative abundance of Lactobacillus species. Lactobacillus dominance is even more pronounced during pregnancy. Genetic factors, such as ethnicity, along with environmental, individual and lifestyle factors all have an impact on vaginal microbiota composition. The composition of the vaginal microbiota appears to play an important role in pregnancy as recent studies have linked it to adverse obstetric outcomes such as preterm birth, a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, the same vaginal microbiota does not seem to cause the same response in all women, calling for future research to fully understand the complex host–microbiota interplay in normal and complicated pregnancies.

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Abbreviations

BV:

bacterial vaginosis

CST:

community state type

pPROM:

preterm premature rupture of membranes

PTB:

preterm birth

SES:

socioeconomic status

VMB:

vaginal microbiota

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

    Kaisa Kervinen, Ilkka Kalliala, Sivan Glazer-Livson, Seppo Virtanen & Pekka Nieminen

  2. Department of Surgery and Cancer, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Ilkka Kalliala

  3. Human Microbiome Research Program, Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Anne Salonen

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  1. Kaisa Kervinen
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  2. Ilkka Kalliala
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  3. Sivan Glazer-Livson
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  4. Seppo Virtanen
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  5. Pekka Nieminen
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  6. Anne Salonen
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Correspondence to Anne Salonen.

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Kervinen, K., Kalliala, I., Glazer-Livson, S. et al. Vaginal microbiota in pregnancy: Role in induction of labor and seeding the neonate’s microbiota?. J Biosci 44, 116 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-019-9925-z

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