Garrigues Quentin, Apper Emmanuelle, Mercier Fanny, Rodiles Ana, Rovere Nicoletta, Chastant Sylvie, Mila Hanna
NeoCare, Reproduction, ENVT, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
Lallemand SAS, Blagnac, France.
Anim Microbiome. 2025 Mar 6;7(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s42523-025-00384-1.
Microbial seeding in early life is critical for the host's short- and long-term health, and the mother is the first source of bacteria for the newborn. The objective of this study was to characterize the maternal fecal, vaginal, and colostral microbiotas in the canine species one day after parturition and to evaluate the relationship between the microbial profiles of 36 dams and the neonatal outcomes of 284 newborns.
The first part of the study revealed the presence of 2 fecal, 3 vaginal, and 2 colostral microbial clusters on the basis of the core microbiota of the dams. Among these three maternal microbiotas, only the vaginal microbiome was found to be associated with neonatal outcomes. Compared with those in the other clusters, females in Cluster 1, with the lowest stillbirth and neonatal mortality ratios, presented a greater abundance of Moraxellaceae in their vaginal microbiota; Cluster 2, with a greater abundance of Pasteurellaceae, mostly from the Haemophilus genus; and Cluster 3 (with the highest stillbirth and neonatal mortality ratios), a greater abundance of Enterobacteriaceae, mostly E. coli. Moreover, Cluster 3 dams presented significantly lower species richness according to the Shannon index than did dams from the other clusters.
This study underscores the strong association between maternal microbiota, particularly the vaginal microbiota, and newborn health. The results of this study call for further research to gain a deeper understanding of the optimal vaginal microbiota composition in canine species and the ways to modulate it to improve neonatal outcomes.
生命早期的微生物定植对宿主的短期和长期健康至关重要,而母亲是新生儿细菌的首要来源。本研究的目的是在分娩后一天对犬类的母体粪便、阴道和初乳微生物群进行特征分析,并评估36只母犬的微生物谱与284只新生儿的新生儿结局之间的关系。
研究的第一部分基于母犬的核心微生物群,揭示了2种粪便、3种阴道和2种初乳微生物群簇的存在。在这三种母体微生物群中,仅发现阴道微生物群与新生儿结局相关。与其他群簇中的母犬相比,第1群簇中的母犬死产和新生儿死亡率最低,其阴道微生物群中莫拉菌科的丰度更高;第2群簇中巴斯德菌科的丰度更高,主要来自嗜血杆菌属;而第3群簇(死产和新生儿死亡率最高)中肠杆菌科的丰度更高,主要是大肠杆菌。此外,根据香农指数,第3群簇的母犬物种丰富度显著低于其他群簇的母犬。
本研究强调了母体微生物群,尤其是阴道微生物群与新生儿健康之间的密切关联。本研究结果呼吁进一步开展研究,以更深入地了解犬类最佳阴道微生物群组成以及调节其以改善新生儿结局的方法。