The Impact of Maternal Microbes on Infant Health Programming

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
MAMI aims to characterize maternal microbes to be transferred to neonates and determine their function in infant health programming.

Detailed Description
-----------------
Recent reports suggest that early microbial colonization has an important role for in promoting health. This may contribute to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, allergies and inflammatory conditions. Advances in understanding host-microbe interactions imply that maternal microbiota plays a crucial role on health programming. This process begins in utero and it is modulated by mode of delivery and diet. The investigator's previous data has shown that i) specific shifts in milk microbial composition are associated with lactation time and mode of delivery, ii) milk microbes drive the infant microbiota composition; iii) maternal microbiota dysbiosis may be transferred to the infant. However, factors defining maternal microbiota and its biological role upon infant's health are not yet fully understood. Hence, this project aims to characterize maternal microbes to be transferred to neonates and determine their function in infant health programming. The specific aims are:(1) understanding how the maternal microbiome is influenced by host and environmental factors;(2) characterizing the microbial core and bioactive compounds transmitted to the offspring mainly via breastfeeding and their key roles in the microbial modulation and host response;(3) understanding the interactions among breast milk bioactive compounds and their role in infant health;(4) shedding light on how maternal microbes influence the infant immune system. Results obtained will demonstrate the interaction between infant nutrition, microbes and host response in early life and its key role in health programming, enabling new applications in the field of personalized nutrition & medicine.

Official Title
-----------------
The Power of Maternal Microbes on Infant Health

Conditions
-----------------
Healthy

Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: Age> 18 years. Healthy woman (no medication, no diabetes, no pre-gestational thyroid problems) Postpartum woman (beginning of the puerperium). Exclusion criteria: Non-compliance with any of the inclusion criteria. Medication and drugs Health problems at the immunological and metabolic levels.

Ages Eligible for Study
-----------------
Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 40 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------
What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Microbiota composition | Dominant microbial species maternal and infant samples (using qPCR and sequencing -approaches analysis | from birth to 24 month | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maternal diet | Maternal diet (FFQ) during gestation and 12 month post-partum | from birth to12 month | 
| Maternal BMI | To check Body Mass Index (kg/cm2) | pre-gestational | 
| Maternal weight | To check Weight gain over pregnancy (kg) and weight during lactation | pre-gestational and from birth to 12 months post-partum | 
| To identify maternal factors affecting microbiota: antibiotics | antibiotics treatment during gestation (number of treatments) | pre-gestational | 
| To identify the impact of mode of delivery | Mode of delivery type: Vaginal/C-section (elective or non-elective) | Birth | 
| Infant weight | Infant weight (kg) | from birth to 24 month | 
| Infant height | Infant height (cm) | from birth to 24 month | 
| Infant Diet | Exclusive breastfeeding time (months), breastfeeding duration and time of introduction of complementary food | from bith to 24 month | 
| Fecal short-chain fatty acids | Determine the relationship between fecal microbiota composition and fecal short chain fatty acids | from birth to 24 month | 

 Terms related to the study
=================
Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
-----------------
microbiota, breast milk, diet