The human virome in health and disease - presented by Prof. Frederic Bushman

The human virome in health and disease

Prof. Frederic Bushman

Prof. Frederic Bushman
Slide at 07:31
Microbial colonization of newborns Early studies: difficult or impossible to culture bacteria from placenta or meconium-supported sterile womb hypothesis. Later work: PCR and deep sequencing suggested possible presence of bacterial DNA in several compartments, including placenta and fetus (Aagaard et al., 2014); controversy followed. We could not find a placenta microbiome over the contamination background (Lauder et al., 2016, Microbiome; Leiby et al., 2018); similar results from the Sanger Center and others (de Goffau, 2019, Nature). Existence of germ-free animals: strong argument for sterility of the womb (citations in Perez-Munoz et al., 2017), even germ-free humans. Conclusion: data supports the idea that healthy infants are usually born sterile, and colonization begins after rupture of membranes and delivery. studio.streamyard.com is sharing your screen Stop sharing Hide
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References
  • 1.
    K. Aagaard et al. (2014) The Placenta Harbors a Unique Microbiome. Science Translational Medicine
  • 2.
    A. P. Lauder et al. (2016) Comparison of placenta samples with contamination controls does not provide evidence for a distinct placenta microbiota. Microbiome
  • 3.
    J. S. Leiby et al. (2018) Lack of detection of a human placenta microbiome in samples from preterm and term deliveries. Microbiome
  • 4.
    M. C. d. Goffau et al. (2019) Human placenta has no microbiome but can contain potential pathogens. Nature
  • 5.
    M. E. Perez-Muñoz et al. (2017) A critical assessment of the “sterile womb” and “in utero colonization” hypotheses: implications for research on the pioneer infant microbiome. Microbiome
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Summary (AI generated)

Early studies found it difficult to culture bacteria from placenta, meconium, or amniotic fluid, leading to the belief that the womb was sterile. However, later work using PCR and deep sequencing suggested the possible presence of bacterial DNA in various compartments, including the placenta and fetus. This sparked controversy.

A sampling study conducted by colleagues at Penn, in which we participated, did not find a placenta microbiome above the contamination background. Other studies, including one from the Sanger Center, have also reached this conclusion. Additionally, experiments with germ-free animals, such as mice and humans, support the idea that the womb is sterile and colonization occurs shortly after birth.

I believe that infants are colonized with bacteria after the rupture of membranes and delivery, a concept that will be further explored in the colonization study I will be describing.