Collection

Prematurity, health care outcomes and microbiomes

Submission status
Closed
Preterm birth, defined as birth before 37 weeks' gestation, occurs in 10% of live births worldwide. Of those, 40% are thought to result from infection. In order to prevent preterm births, it is important to understand the role of the microbiome in regards to prematurity. In this context, the role of maternal and neonatal microbiome has been the objective of much research. There has been an increase in emerging evidence regarding the influence of microbiome and microbiota on health from early stages of life, yet there are still gaps in the understanding. Within this collection at BMC Pediatrics, we are interested in attracting a wide range of submissions which focus on prematurity and the microbiome. We are interested in evidence pertaining to both maternal and neonatal microbiota as well as exploring the neurological outcomes associated with neonatal microbiota. Role of the maternal microbiome in the context of prematurity - There has been much research about the maternal microbiome and pregnancy outcomes; this collection welcomes submissions relating to preterm birth outcomes. Understanding the neurological outcomes associated with neonatal microbiota, including the brain-gut axis - the collection welcomes research relating to the bidirectional communication axis between the microbiota, the gut and the brain, especially in regards to neurodevelopment and health outcomes. Opportunities for microbiome modulation in prematurity outcomes - as the microbiome changes significantly following birth, it has been frequently proposed that this is a vital time in which to modulate the early microbiota via probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics in order to promote health. The collection welcomes submissions relating to microbiome modulation in association with prematurity outcomes. Given that this is an important and rapidly growing field of research, BMC Pediatrics welcomes submissions that include primary research, review papers, and other studies contributing to the knowledge base of microbiome associated with prematurity, presenting evidence from cutting edge studies advancing our understanding of the maternal biome, neonatal microbiota and microbiome modulation.

Articles (12 in this collection)