(270) Microbial Signatures in the Oral Cavity Associated with Pregnancy Loss

Objective: The study aimed to elucidate the relationship between oral microbiota composition and pregnancy loss in Chinese women of childbearing age, hypothesizing that specific oral microbial signatures may be predictive of pregnancy outcomes.

Study Design: This prospective observational study adhered to the STROBE guidelines and enrolled 182 women of childbearing age. Participants were categorized into a pregnancy loss group (PL group, n=70) and a control group (Con group, n=112) based on their pregnancy history. Clinical assessments were conducted, and oral buccal mucosa samples were collected for comprehensive metagenomic analysis using shotgun sequencing. DNA was extracted, and sequencing was performed on the DNBSEQ-T1 platform. Taxonomic and functional profiling was conducted using Metaphlan 3.0 and HUMAnN 3.0. Alpha and beta diversities were assessed with indices and Bray-Curtis distances.

Results: The PL group exhibited lower oral microbiota richness and diversity. Genera such as Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, and Bacteroides were positively associated with pregnancy loss, while Pseudomonas and Leptotrichia were negatively associated. Metabolic pathways like plasminogen degradation and L-arginine degradation II (AST pathway) showed negative correlations with PL. Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) revealed significant differences in oral microbiota composition and function between the groups.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that specific oral microbiota compositions and metabolic pathways are associated with pregnancy loss, highlighting the potential role of oral microbiota in reproductive health. These insights could inform the development of targeted interventions aimed at modulating the oral microbiota to improve pregnancy outcomes.