Peer-reviewed article
MAMI: a birth cohort focused on maternal-infant microbiota during early life
on behalf of MAMI team, Izaskun García‐Mantrana, Cristina Alcántara, Marta Selma‐Royo, Alba Boix-Amorós et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001MAMI is a birth cohort study in Spain that follows mothers and infants from pregnancy through the first two years of life. The study examines how maternal microbiota are transferred to newborns and how factors like delivery mode, diet, and antibiotic exposure shape infant microbial colonization. Researchers collected biological samples and clinical data to understand how early microbial patterns affect child health and disease risk later in life.
Key points
- The study follows mothers enrolled at the end of pregnancy and tracks families during the first years of life
- Biological samples are collected from birth to 24 months to characterize maternal microbes transferred to neonates
- The research examines how gestational age, mode of delivery, maternal and infant diet, and antibiotic exposure affect microbial colonization
- Altered microbial colonization patterns have been linked to increased risk of non-communicable diseases
- The study aims to inform personalized nutrition and medicine applications in early childhood
Limitations
This document describes a cohort study design and does not provide results or findings from analysis. The document cannot tell us what the actual outcomes were, what associations were found between microbiota and health outcomes, or whether any interventions were effective.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Early microbial colonization is a relevant aspect in human health. Altered microbial colonization patterns have been linked to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Advances in understanding host-microbe interactions highlight the pivotal role of maternal microbiota on infant health programming. This birth cohort is aimed to characterize the maternal microbes transferred to neonates during the first 1000 days of life, as well as to identify the potential host and environmental factors, such as gestational age, mode of delivery, maternal/infant diet, and exposure to antibiotics, which affect early microbial colonization. METHODS: MAMI is a prospective mother-infant birth cohort in the Spanish-Mediterranean area. Mothers were enrolled at the end of pregnancy and families were follow-up during the first years of life. Maternal-infant biological samples were collected at several time points from birth to 24 months of life. Clinical and anthropometric characteristics and dietary information is available. Specific qPCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing as well as short chain fatty acid (SCFAs) profile would be obtained. Multivariable models will be used to identy associations between microbiota and clinical and anthropometric data controlling for confounders. MAMI would contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between diet, microbiota and host response in early life health programming, enabling new applications in the field of personalized nutrition and medicine. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study is registered on the ClinicalTrial.gov platform NCT03552939. (June 12, 2018).