Lungs and Placentas of the foetus kin womb (11 weeks after conception) already reveal bacterial microbiome signature, which shows that bacteria may have colonised the lungs before the birth.
This is the first time that such a study has come out and the findings only increases the mystery on how microbial products reach the organs before birth and the role they play in the development of lungs and the immune system.
The findings have been revealed by a team led by Charitharath Vivek Lal of the University of the University of Alabama in Brimingham. They found that a fetal microbiome DNA signature was present in the lungs as early as the first trimester. They also came across placenta microbiome in the foetus
The study has been published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical care medicine.
For the study, 31 samples of lung and placenta tissues from foetus between 11 and 20 weeks of gestation were collected. The tests were done in labs at the Lee Kong Chjian School of Medicine at Singapore and at UAB.
