NEWSLETTER: 116th Abbott Nutrition Research Conference on The Maternal Microbiome & Perinatal Colonization

Publish Date: 19 April 2017
Author(s): Amy R. Beaudreault, PhD

Abstract:

Highlights from the 116th Abbott Nutrition Research Conference on The Maternal Microbiome & Perinatal Colonization, including these:

  • Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is associated with allergies, asthma, autism, colon cancer, Crohn’s disease, COPD, diabetes, obesity, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. (p 5)
  • During development, a fetus can be “misinformed” by maternal pharmaceutical exposure, malnutrition, inflammatory diseases, and dysglycemia. (p 6)
  • The gut microbiome may regulate metabolic and cardiovascular health in pregnancy. (p 7)
  • Prenatal exposure to stress leads to alterations in the gut microbiome in a preclinical model. (p 7)
  • Although milk produced by healthy moms was once thought to be sterile, emerging research suggests that it contains a diverse and live microbial community. (p 8)
  • Bifidobacteria support infant health by: inhibiting pathogens, regulating metabolic function, and promoting SCFA production. (p 9)
  • The microbiome of full-term vaginally born, exclusively human milk-fed infants with no previous exposure to antibiotics can be considered the “gold standard.” (p 9)
  • Up to one-third of preterm births may follow microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity. (p 10)
  • Human milk partially corrects gut dysbiosis and decreases the risk of NEC in preterm infants. (p 11)
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Author Bios

A headshot of Brett Finlay

B. Brett Finlay, PhD

University of British Columbia; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
A headshot of Deborah Sloboda

Deborah Sloboda, PhD

McMaster University; Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
A headshot of Marloes Dekker Nitert

Marloes Dekker Nitert, PhD

The University of Queensland; Brisbane, Australia
A headshot of Tamar Gur

Tamar L. Gur, MD, PhD

The Ohio State University, College of Medicine; Columbus, Ohio, USA
A headshot of Michelle McGuire

Michelle (Shelley) K. McGuire, PhD

Washington State University; Pullman, Washington, USA
A headshot of David Sela

David A. Sela, PhD

University of Massachusetts Amherst; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
A headshot of Catherine Stanton

Catherine Stanton, DSc, PhD, MSc, BSc

APC Microbiome Institute & Teagasc Moorepark Food Research Centre; Cork, Ireland
A headshot of Roberto Romero

Roberto Romero, MD, DMEDSCI

Intramural Division, NICHD, NIH, DHHS; Wayne State University; Detroit, Michigan, USA
A headshot of Mark Underwood

Mark A. Underwood, MD

The University of California Davis School of Medicine; Sacramento, California, USA
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