THE INFLUENCE OF THE MODE OF DELIVERY ON FETAL COLONISATION – VAGINAL DELIVERY VS CESARION SECTION

The last decade, the existence of placental microbiota is debated and there is no consensus regarding the existence of a placental microbiome in healthy full-term pregnancies(Aagaard et al., 2014; Perez-Muñoz et al., 2017). There are still opposite meanings about the fetal colonization, weather it begins in utero, or the first interaction with bacteria is after delivery. In this study, we aimed to investigate the fetal environment to determine whether there is an intrauterine microbiome or if colonization begins at birth. A cross-sectional study was performed, comparing samples from placental tissue, amniotic fluid, and vernixcaseosa from two groups of full-term births: women not in labor undergoing elective cesarean deliveries and women with vaginal deliveries. Women with complications, infections, and preterm deliveries were excluded. Real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) was used for the detection of bacteria. A ready-made amplification kit – Vaginitis Screening Assay Allplex™ (Seegene Inc., n.d.) – was used for molecular testing, and results were interpreted using the Seegene Viewer. Our results showed no evidence of fetal colonization in utero; rather, the mode of delivery plays a significant role in the colonization of the newborn and establishment of the first microbiome (Dominguez-Bello et al., 2010; Gritz&Bhandari, 2015).