Publication Details

AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH

biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology

Maternal fecal microbiome predicts gestational age, birth weight and neonatal growth in rural Zimbabwe.

EBioMedicine, Volume 68, Article 103421, Year 2021

Background: Preterm birth and low birth weight (LBW) affect one in ten and one in seven livebirths, respectively, primarily in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC) and are major predictors of poor child health outcomes. However, both have been recalcitrant to public health intervention. The maternal intestinal microbiome may undergo substantial changes during pregnancy and may influence fetal and neonatal health in LMIC populations. Methods: Within a subgroup of 207 mothers and infants enrolled in the SHINE trial in rural Zimbabwe, we performed shotgun metagenomics on 351 fecal specimens provided during pregnancy and at 1-month post-partum to investigate the relationship between the pregnancy gut microbiome and infant gestational age, birth weight, 1-month length-, and weight-for-age z-scores using extreme gradient boosting machines. Findings: Pregnancy gut microbiome taxa and metabolic functions predicted birth weight and WAZ at 1 month more accurately than gestational age and LAZ. Blastoscystis sp, Brachyspira sp and Treponeme carriage were high compared to Western populations. Resistant starch-degraders were important predictors of birth outcomes. Microbiome capacity for environmental sensing, vitamin B metabolism, and signalling predicted increased infant birth weight and neonatal growth; while functions involved in biofilm formation in response to nutrient starvation predicted reduced birth weight and growth. Interpretation: The pregnancy gut microbiome in rural Zimbabwe is characterized by resistant starch-degraders and may be an important metabolic target to improve birth weight. Funding: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, Wellcome Trust, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, US National Institutes of Health, and UNICEF.

Statistics
Citations: 32
Authors: 22
Affiliations: 9
Identifiers
Research Areas
Maternal And Child Health
Noncommunicable Diseases
Sexual And Reproductive Health
Study Design
Randomised Control Trial
Study Locations
Zimbabwe