Health-Medical-Fitness-Diet-zk: Microbe

duminică, 5 august 2012

Gut Microbe Changes That Usually Promote Obesity And Diabetes Are Beneficial During Pregnancy

The composition of microbes in the gut changes dramatically during pregnancy, according to a study published by Cell Press in the August 3rd issue of the journal Cell. Although these changes are associated with metabolic disease under most circumstances, they could be beneficial in pregnant women.

"This is the first in-depth characterization of the gut microbiota associated with pregnancy," says senior study author Ruth Ley of Cornell University. "The findings suggest that our bodies have coevolved with the microbiota and may actually be using them as a tool - to help alter the mother's metabolism to support the growth of the fetus."

In nonpregnant animals, changes to gut microbe composition can cause symptoms of metabolic syndrome, including weight gain, abnormal glucose metabolism, and inflammation - an immune response that normally protects the body but can cause health problems. These symptoms also appear during pregnancy, but the underlying causes have been unclear, and few studies have examined the potential link to gut microbiota during pregnancy.

To address this question, Ley and her team obtained stool samples from 91 pregnant women. They found that gut microbes changed in composition from the first trimester to the third trimester, becoming less "normal" and less diverse over time. Health-boosting bacteria decreased in abundance, while disease-related bacteria increased in number. In addition, signs of inflammation increased over the course of the pregnancy. "The changes in gut microbes were not related to diet, so we think the immune system or hormones play a role," Ley says.

When gut microbes from pregnant women were transferred to healthy germ-free mice, animals that received microbes from the third trimester became fatter and had higher levels of inflammation markers and worse glucose metabolism than mice that received microbes from the first trimester.

"By the third trimester, the microbiota can induce changes in metabolism," Ley says. "In the context of pregnancy, these metabolic changes in the mother are healthy, because they promote energy storage in fat tissue and help support the fetus. Outside of pregnancy, however, these changes can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes and other health problems."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our pregnancy / obstetrics section for the latest news on this subject. Koren et al.: "Remodeling of the gut microbiome and metabolic changes during pregnancy."
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duminică, 11 decembrie 2011

Premature Babies Harbor Fewer, But More Dangerous Microbe Types

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 11 Dec 2011 - 0:00 PST

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One of the most comprehensive studies to date of the microbes that are found in extremely low-birthweight infants found that hard-to-treat Candida fungus is often present, as well as some harmful bacteria and parasites.

Researchers at the Duke University Medical Center and Nicholas School of the Environment looked at the microbes in 11 premature infants and found much less diversity than in full-term infants.

"The babies' guts were taken over by microbes we know are dangerous if they get into the blood," said senior author Patrick Seed, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Duke. "Even after the babies were no longer on antibiotics, healthier bacteria didn't appear in the babies very quickly. This may be one reason why premature babies are so vulnerable to infections."

All of the premature children were placed on antibiotic treatments after birth, which would wipe out some types of bacteria and yeast, but once they were off the antibiotics and taking food, the researchers expected to see more diversity of bacteria in the babies' developing digestive systems than they found.

The findings were published in PLoS One open-access journal on Dec. 8.

Five infants had blood infections while three had necrotizing enterocolitis, an infection-related death of bowel tissue, said Seed, who is also with the Jean and George Brumley Jr. Neonatal-Perinatal Research Institute and the Duke Center for Microbial Pathogenesis.

Seed said that while the study babies mainly were colonized mainly by organisms that were found in stool specimens, in some cases they also had infections with Staphylococcus epidermidis, a form of staph infection, that was abundant in many of the babies' digestive tracts.

The bacteria and yeast in the premature babies' digestive tracts are known causes of devastating infections in these babies. The gut seems to be a reservoir for some organisms that form infections, Seed said. Previous to this work, "we only knew the tip of the iceberg," he said.

The researchers used genomic (DNA) typing of the bacteria, fungi and parasites to determine which types were present.

It's not clear if the newborns are picking up these early infections from their mother's milk, blood, or in other ways, or if the pathogens are from the environment surrounding the infants.

"It's important to know where these pathogens come from so that doctors can possibly manipulate the babies' environment or their digestive systems," Seed said. He noted that other studies had shown value for giving babies probiotic substances to tip the internal balance toward more favorable bacteria, necessary for immunity and better health.

Seed stressed that certain bacteria and other microbes are helpful for growing babies and their immune systems, so it is important not to do any damage by creating an antiseptic environment.

"It's a question of balance," Seed said. "As vulnerable as these babies are, we still wouldn't want to wipe out all of the bacteria, even all of the potentially harmful bacteria."

Other authors include Mariam LaTuga, Michael Cotton, Ronald Goldberg and James Wynn of Duke Department of Pediatrics; and Christopher Ellis and Robert Jackson of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment (Jackson is also with the Biology Department and the Center on Global Change at Duke University). Several co-authors also are with the Jean and George Brumley Jr. Neonatal-Perinatal Research Institute.

This research was supported by a pilot grant from the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy, the Duke Department of Pediatrics -- Division of Perinatal-Neonatal Medicine, the Jean and George Brumley, Jr. Neonatal-Perinatal Research Network and the Center on Global Change, as well as support from the Gerber and Hartwell Foundations.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
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