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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Oral Microbes and Host
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1477703
This article is part of the Research Topic Impact of oral and gut microbiome on health and diseases View all 6 articles

Metabarcoding Analysis of Oral Microbiome during pregnancy

Provisionally accepted
Fatiha M. Benslimane Fatiha M. Benslimane 1Layla I. Mohammed Layla I. Mohammed 1Haya Abu-Hijleh Haya Abu-Hijleh 2Sara Suleiman Sara Suleiman 2Sonia Boughattas Sonia Boughattas 1Zain Z. Zakaria Zain Z. Zakaria 3Eleni Fthenou Eleni Fthenou 4Maha Al-Asmakh Maha Al-Asmakh 2*
  • 1 Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
  • 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
  • 3 Vice President for Medical and Health Sciences Office, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
  • 4 Qatar Biobank for Medical Research, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Pregnancy is a dynamic physiological process involving significant hormonal, immune, and metabolic changes to support fetal growth and development. This study investigates the changes in salivary microbiome and biochemical markers from the second to the third trimester of pregnancy. Saliva samples were collected from 45 pregnant women enrolled in the Qatar Birth Cohort study at two time points (second and third trimesters). DNA was extracted and subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing using Oxford Nanopore Technology. Microbial diversity and taxonomic analyses were performed, along with correlation analyses between microbial abundance and clinical parameters. Biochemically, significant increases in BMI, pulse rate, HbA1c, LDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides were observed in the third trimester compared to the second. Microbial diversity analysis revealed significant changes in microbial richness and composition. Taxonomy analysis showed a significant 3-fold increase in Bacteroidota. Also, a significant decline in Selenomonas and a significant increase in Veillonella, specifically Veillonella dispar and Veillonella atypica, as well as an increase in Granulicatella were observed in the third trimester, along with a significant decrease in Streptococcus sanguinis. Correlation analysis during the second trimester revealed positive associations between BMI, cholesterol, LDL, and Selenomonas, and negative correlations with Streptococcus and Gemella. In the third trimester, BMI was negatively correlated with Campylobacter, glucose levels were negatively correlated with Neisseria, and triglyceride levels were negatively correlated with Prevotella. These findings highlight significant biochemical and microbial shifts during pregnancy, underscoring the importance of monitoring oral health and metabolic changes in pregnant women.

    Keywords: Pregnancy, oral microbiome, Gut Microbiota, Salivary microbiome, Qatari Birth Cohort (QbiC), high-throughput sequencing

    Received: 08 Aug 2024; Accepted: 31 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Benslimane, Mohammed, Abu-Hijleh, Suleiman, Boughattas, Zakaria, Fthenou and Al-Asmakh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Maha Al-Asmakh, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

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