Potential Pathogenic and Opportunistic Oral Bacteria in Early Life: The Role of Maternal Factors in a Portuguese Population

Abstract

In early life, maternal factors are of the utmost relevance for oral microbiome acquisition and maturation. Therefore, our study explored the impact of maternal factors, such as saliva and breastmilk colonization, cardiovascular risk factors (CRF), type of delivery, oral health, and caregiving habits on the prevalence of potential pathogenic and opportunistic oral bacteria in early life. A total of 26 healthy mothers, 23 mothers with CRF, and their 50 children were included and samples (child’s oral swabs, mother’s saliva, and breastmilk) were collected 4 to 12 weeks after delivery and inoculated in selective and differential media for detection of non-fastidious Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria to isolate potential pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria identified by MALDI-TOF MS (414 isolates). Within mother–child dyads, the same species were identified in 86% of the pairs and potential pathogenic microorganisms from the Staphylococcaceae and Enterobacteriaceae families were found to be statistically significantly concordant between mother–child samples, particularly in the healthy group. Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia oral colonization in mother–child pairs were associated with the presence of CRF. Breastfeeding was related to the early life oral colonization of Staphylococcus epidermidis in children from healthy mothers and C-section was associated with higher diversity of pathogens, independent of cardiovascular status (p = 0.05). This study reveals the presence of potential oral opportunistic and pathogenic bacteria in early life and highlights the importance of maternal factors in its acquisition.

Vertical Transmission and Antifungal Susceptibility Profile of Yeast Isolates from the Oral Cavity, Gut, and Breastmilk of Mother–Child Pairs in Early Life

“…Recently, our research group has suggested a potential relevant role of the mother in bacterial vertical transmission to the child and this study has confirmed this to fungi [ 48 ]. Within the limitations of this study, we hypothesize that delivery may be the initial event for fungal vertical transmission, with the transfer of the fungi present on the skin or in vagina and perianal region to the mouth and, subsequently, gut of the child, which may then be perpetuated by breastfeeding and close contact with the mother.…”

Association between early childhood caries and parental education and the link to the sustainable development goal 4: a scoping review

“…Among non-communicable diseases, ECC is the first consequence of sugar consumption and can affect children even before completing the first year of life [ 18 – 20 ]. Parental level of education is associated with offering sugar in the first year of life [ 18 , 26 ] and early introduction of mature oral bacteria [ 27 ] both of which are important factors associated with ECC. However, little is known about the pathways by which parental education may affect the risk for ECC.…”