Bacteria from a mother's mouth can be transmitted through the blood and amniotic fluid in the womb to her unborn child, resulting in premature delivery, a low birth-weight baby, premature onset of contractions, or infection of the newborn child, according to research presented at the recent Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate, U.K.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London tested the gastric aspirates (stomach contents containing swallowed amniotic fluid) of 57 newborn babies and found 46 different species of bacteria in the samples. While the researchers acknowledge that the most prevalent bacteria in the samples may have come from the vagina, two of the species were recognized as coming from the mouth and are not normally found elsewhere in the body.
These particular oral pathogens, Granulicatella elegans and Streptococcus sinensis, are known to be able to enter the bloodstream and have previously been associated with nonoral infections such as infective endocarditis.
"Bacteria with an oral origin may translocate to the amniotic cavity during pregnancy and reach the fetus," the researchers noted.
This evidence could have an important implication for women and babies' heath since simple improvement of dental hygiene may help to reduce the incidence of unknown complications in pregnancy and newborn babies, they added.
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