NASOPHARYNGEAL MICROBIOTA PROFILING OF PREGNANT WOMEN WITH SARS-CoV-2 INFECTION

Pregnancy is a unique physiological state in which all body systems participate including hormonal, immune and metabolic pathways. Recent evidence illustrated the gut microbiota changes over the course of a healthy pregnancy; nevertheless, other human niches with potential physiological effects have been poorly studied. SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy is mostly asymptomatic or mild, but like with other respiratory viruses there is a greater risk of severe respiratory complications as compared with non-pregnant women, particularly in late gestation.In this study, we aimed to characterize the nasopharyngeal microbiota in pregnant women with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection. We further investigated the potential differences of nasopharyngeal microbiota in women with active versus past, and in asymptomatic versus symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.