Several studies have shown fluctuations in the maternal microbiota at various body sites (gut, oral cavity, and vagina). The skin microbiota plays an important role in our health, but studies on the changes during pregnancy are limited. Quantitative and qualitative variations in the skin microbiota in pregnant woman could indeed play important roles in modifying the immune and inflammatory responses of the host. These alterations could induce inflammatory disorders affecting the individual’s dermal properties, and could potentially predict infant skin disorder in the unborn. The present study aimed to characterize skin microbiota modifications during pregnancy. For this purpose, skin samples were collected from 52 pregnant women in the first, second, and third trimester of non-complicated pregnancies and from 17 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The skin microbiota composition was assessed by next generation sequencing (NGS) of the V3–V4 region of the bacterial rRNA 16S. Our results indicate that from the first to the third trimester of pregnancy, changes occur in the composition of the skin microbiota, microbial interactions, and various metabolic pathways. These changes could play a role in creating more advantageous conditions for fetal growth.

中文翻译：

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女性怀孕期间皮肤微生物群的变化

多项研究表明，不同身体部位（肠道、口腔和阴道）的母体微生物群存在波动。皮肤微生物群对我们的健康起着重要作用，但对怀孕期间变化的研究有限。孕妇皮肤微生物群的定量和定性变化确实可以在改变宿主的免疫和炎症反应方面发挥重要作用。这些改变可能会诱发影响个体皮肤特性的炎症性疾病，并可能预测未出生的婴儿皮肤病。本研究旨在表征怀孕期间皮肤微生物群的变化。为此，我们从 52 名妊娠早期、中期和晚期的无并发症孕妇以及 17 名年龄和性别匹配的健康对照中采集了皮肤样本。通过细菌 rRNA 16S V3-V4 区域的下一代测序 (NGS) 评估皮肤微生物群组成。我们的研究结果表明，从妊娠早期到妊娠晚期，皮肤微生物群的组成、微生物相互作用和各种代谢途径都会发生变化。这些变化可以为胎儿的生长创造更有利的条件。