10 Aug Abnormal Microbiome Found in Preterm Infants Who Develop Chronic Lung Disease
Dr. Lal
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Charitharth ‘Vivek’ Lal, MD
Assistant Professor,
Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine,
Departments of Pediatrics
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL 35249-7335
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Airway microbiome of neonates, at birth, has not been studied. Also, association of airway microbiome with lung disease of prematurity has not been studied well.
We found that infant airway is already colonized with bacteria or bacterial DNA when a baby is born. The extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants who went on to develop life-threatening bronchopulmonary dysplasia showed abnormal microbial colonization patterns at birth, as compared to pre-term infants who did not get BPD. These findings were validated from a second independent set of patients, from a different clinical site.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Early airway microbiome dysbiosis may be associated with subsequent lung diseases and presence of lactobacillus in the airway of preterm infants may be protective. In addition, the newborn may acquire the airway microbiome / bacterial DNA, transplacentally or from the amniotic fluid.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response:
• To study the effects of pulmonary microbiome in various lung disease processes.
• To study the mechanisms by which the respiratory microbiome affect host response.
• To study the gut – lung microbial axis.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
The Airway Microbiome at Birth
Charitharth Vivek Lal , Colm Travers, Zubair H. Aghai , Peter Eipers , Tamas Jilling , Brian Halloran,Waldemar A. Carlo, Jordan Keeley , Gabriel Rezonzew , Ranjit Kumar, Casey Morrow , Vineet Bhandari & Namasivayam Ambalavanan
Published online: 04 August 2016
Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 31023 (2016)
doi:10.1038/srep31023
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
More Medical Research Interviews on MedicalResearch.com
[wysija_form id=”5″]
Last Updated on August 10, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD