Birth mode is associated with earliest strain-conferred gut microbiome functions and immunostimulatory potential

• Published in: Nature communications 2018-11, Vol.9 (1), p.5091-14, Article 5091
• Main Authors: Wampach, Linda, Heintz-Buschart, Anna, Fritz, Joëlle V., Ramiro-Garcia, Javier, Habier, Janine, Herold, Malte, Narayanasamy, Shaman, Kaysen, Anne, Hogan, Angela H., Bindl, Lutz, Bottu, Jean, Halder, Rashi, Sjöqvist, Conny, May, Patrick, Andersson, Anders F., de Beaufort, Carine, Wilmes, Paul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 13; 13/21; 45; 45/23; 49/22; 631/250/2499; 631/326/2565/2134; 692/700/1720; amplicon; bacterial strain; beta interferon; Biosynthesis; Blood plasma; cell; Cesarean Section; Coding; community structure; Delivery; Delivery, Obstetric; Digestive system; Disruption; DNA sequence; Female; Functionals; galectin 1; gamma interferon; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - genetics; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - physiology; gene function; genetic analysis; genetic variability; genetics; granzyme B; human; human cell; Human performance; human tissue; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Immune system; Immunostimulation; in vitro study; In Vitro Techniques; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infectious Disease Transmission; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; interleukin 10; interleukin 12; interleukin 13; interleukin 15; Interleukin 18; interleukin 18 protein; interleukin 1beta; interleukin 2; interleukin 21; interleukin 23; interleukin 23p40; interleukin 27; interleukin 4; interleukin 5; interleukin 6; interleukin 8; Interleukin-18 - metabolism; Intestinal microflora; intestine flora; lipopolysaccharide; Lipopolysaccharides; Lipopolysaccharides - metabolism; marker gene; metabolism; metagenomics; Metagenomics - methods; microbial colonization; microbial community; Microbiomes; Microbiota; microorganism; Microorganisms; multidisciplinary; neonate; Neonates; newborn; Obstetric; obstetric delivery; physiology; Pregnancy; Priming; procedures; quantitative analysis; real time polymerase chain reaction; RNA 16S; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); sequence homology; taxonomy; tumor necrosis factor; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Tumors; unclassified drug; vagina flora; vaginal delivery; Vertical; vertical transmission
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07631-x

The rate of caesarean section delivery (CSD) is increasing worldwide. It remains unclear whether disruption of mother-to-neonate transmission of microbiota through CSD occurs and whether it affects human physiology. Here we perform metagenomic analysis of earliest gut microbial community structures and functions. We identify differences in encoded functions between microbiomes of vaginally delivered (VD) and CSD neonates. Several functional pathways are over-represented in VD neonates, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis. We link these enriched functions to individual-specific strains, which are transmitted from mothers to neonates in case of VD. The stimulation of primary human immune cells with LPS isolated from early stool samples of VD neonates results in higher levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukin 18 (IL-18). Accordingly, the observed levels of TNF-α and IL-18 in neonatal blood plasma are higher after VD. Taken together, our results support that CSD disrupts mother-to-neonate transmission of specific microbial strains, linked functional repertoires and immune-stimulatory potential during a critical window for neonatal immune system priming. The effects of caesarean section delivery on mother-to-neonate transmission of microbiota are unclear. Here the authors show that caesarean section delivery can affect the transmission of specific microbial strains and the immunomodulatory potential of the microbiota.