Study of the maternal and fetal gut and amniotic fluid microbiota associated with fetal growth restriction

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is typically characterised as the fetus inability to reach its inherent growth potential. A growing body of evidence points to the important role of the maternal gut microbiota in FGR development. However, comprehensive research on changes in maternal fetal gut and intrauterine microbiota related to FGR is lacking. In this case control study, we sequenced bacterial 16S rDNA from 35 maternal faecal, 35 meconium, and 31 amniotic fluid samples collected from 19 pregnant women diagnosed with FGR and 16 healthy controls. We identified putative bacterial taxonomic and functional characteristics associated with FGR by comparing these to control samples.