Features of the microbiota of placenta in full-term pregnancy

Objective: to study the microbial landscape of the placenta in full-term pregnancy and intact fetal membranes. Materials and methods. 19 pregnant women in the gestational age of 37-41 weeks with intact membranes underwent elective cesarean section at Samara City Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after N.I. Pirogov. Their placental tissues were collected and RT-PCR tests for Lactobacillus spp., Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Gardnerella vaginalis / Prevotella bivia / Porphyromonas spp., Eubacterium spp., Sneathia spp. / Leptotrihia spp. / Fusobacterium spp, Megasphaera spp. / Veillonella spp. / Dialister spp., Lachnobacterium spp. / Clostridium spp., Mobiluncus spp. / Corynebacterium spp., Peptostreptococcus spp., Atopobiumvaginae, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma ( urealyticum + parvum ) , Candida spp., Mycoplasma henitalium were performed. Results. In case of physiological full-term pregnancy the total bacterial mass can be 10 3.9 -10 3.7 GE/sample on the placenta, it is a normal variant. Sterile placentas were found in 21.1% of cases. “Unknown” microorganisms were revealed in 52.6% of cases, they were unidentified by the standard panel “Femoflor-16”. In other cases Enterobacteriaceae spp. (10 2.6 GE/sample) were found in the placental tissues in patients with intact fetal membrane. The presence of Lactobacillus spp. in the placental tissues with intact membranes is not typical. Conclusion. RT-PCR test allow to reveal a small amount of bacterial mass in the placental tissue in case of physiological full-term pregnancy, in which the representatives of Enterobacteriaceae spp. are often time detected.