We are analyzing https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40168-017-0268-4.

Title:
A critical assessment of the “sterile womb” and “in utero colonization” hypotheses: implications for research on the pioneer infant microbiome | Microbiome
Description:
After more than a century of active research, the notion that the human fetal environment is sterile and that the neonate’s microbiome is acquired during and after birth was an accepted dogma. However, recent studies using molecular techniques suggest bacterial communities in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and meconium from healthy pregnancies. These findings have led many scientists to challenge the “sterile womb paradigm” and propose that microbiome acquisition instead begins in utero, an idea that would fundamentally change our understanding of gut microbiota acquisition and its role in human development. In this review, we provide a critical assessment of the evidence supporting these two opposing hypotheses, specifically as it relates to (i) anatomical, immunological, and physiological characteristics of the placenta and fetus; (ii) the research methods currently used to study microbial populations in the intrauterine environment; (iii) the fecal microbiome during the first days of life; and (iv) the generation of axenic animals and humans. Based on this analysis, we argue that the evidence in support of the “in utero colonization hypothesis” is extremely weak as it is founded almost entirely on studies that (i) used molecular approaches with an insufficient detection limit to study “low-biomass” microbial populations, (ii) lacked appropriate controls for contamination, and (iii) failed to provide evidence of bacterial viability. Most importantly, the ability to reliably derive axenic animals via cesarean sections strongly supports sterility of the fetal environment in mammals. We conclude that current scientific evidence does not support the existence of microbiomes within the healthy fetal milieu, which has implications for the development of clinical practices that prevent microbiome perturbations after birth and the establishment of future research priorities.
Website Age:
28 years and 1 months (reg. 1997-05-29).

Matching Content Categories {📚}

Education
Science
Non-Profit & Charity

Content Management System {📝}

What CMS is link.springer.com built with?

Custom-built

No common CMS systems were detected on Link.springer.com, and no known web development framework was identified.

Traffic Estimate {📈}

What is the average monthly size of link.springer.com audience?

🌠 Phenomenal Traffic: 5M - 10M visitors per month

Based on our best estimate, this website will receive around 7,603,474 visitors per month in the current month.

check SE Ranking
check Ahrefs
check Similarweb
check Ubersuggest
check Semrush

How Does Link.springer.com Make Money? {💸}

We're unsure how the site profits.

Websites don't always need to be profitable; some serve as platforms for education or personal expression. Websites can serve multiple purposes. And this might be one of them. Link.springer.com might be plotting its profit, but the way they're doing it isn't detectable yet.

Keywords {🔍}

pubmed, google, scholar, article, cas, microbiome, bacterial, placenta, bacteria, microbial, sterile, fetal, amniotic, central, human, fluid, studies, samples, gut, dna, germfree, environment, meconium, placental, utero, colonization, research, birth, microbes, microbiota, healthy, microbiol, evidence, infants, preterm, fetus, early, contamination, pregnancy, study, maternal, immune, infection, womb, positive, med, infant, colleagues, present, methods,

Topics {✒️}

gnotobiotic technic—küster/nuttall/schottelius/ thierfelder article perez-muñoz polymerase chain reaction high-throughput sequencing technologies germ-free animal facilities article download pdf full-term c-section placentas de jesus-laboy km ureaplasma/mycoplasma-infected amniotic fluid derive germ-free animals �incident-free” prenatal interrelationship generate germ-free animals broad-range pcr amplification ramer-tait department bacterial/permeability-increasing protein germ-free foster mothers germ-free newborn baby germ-free donor female marie-claire arrieta anti-microbial agents directly prevent immune-mediated damage full-term c-section early-onset neonatal sepsis successfully derived germ-free c-section infants reflect 16s rdna v1 dominguez-bello mg perez-perez gi van de wiele female reproductive tract intestinal microbial ecology digiulio db long-term temporal analysis innate immune defence women undergoing c-sections cell host microbe privacy choices/manage cookies low-diversity bacterial communities subsequent culture-based studies robbins jr mid-trimester amniotic fluid sequence-based analyses infectious agents originating preterm pre-labor rupture antigen-presenting cells pre-eclampsia supports jens walter materno-fetal anatomical barriers creative commons license germ-free status

Questions {❓}

Is a foetus developing in a sterile environment?
Is meconium from healthy newborns actually sterile?

Schema {🗺️}

WebPage:
      mainEntity:
         headline:A critical assessment of the “sterile womb” and “in utero colonization” hypotheses: implications for research on the pioneer infant microbiome
         description:After more than a century of active research, the notion that the human fetal environment is sterile and that the neonate’s microbiome is acquired during and after birth was an accepted dogma. However, recent studies using molecular techniques suggest bacterial communities in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and meconium from healthy pregnancies. These findings have led many scientists to challenge the “sterile womb paradigm” and propose that microbiome acquisition instead begins in utero, an idea that would fundamentally change our understanding of gut microbiota acquisition and its role in human development. In this review, we provide a critical assessment of the evidence supporting these two opposing hypotheses, specifically as it relates to (i) anatomical, immunological, and physiological characteristics of the placenta and fetus; (ii) the research methods currently used to study microbial populations in the intrauterine environment; (iii) the fecal microbiome during the first days of life; and (iv) the generation of axenic animals and humans. Based on this analysis, we argue that the evidence in support of the “in utero colonization hypothesis” is extremely weak as it is founded almost entirely on studies that (i) used molecular approaches with an insufficient detection limit to study “low-biomass” microbial populations, (ii) lacked appropriate controls for contamination, and (iii) failed to provide evidence of bacterial viability. Most importantly, the ability to reliably derive axenic animals via cesarean sections strongly supports sterility of the fetal environment in mammals. We conclude that current scientific evidence does not support the existence of microbiomes within the healthy fetal milieu, which has implications for the development of clinical practices that prevent microbiome perturbations after birth and the establishment of future research priorities.
         datePublished:2017-04-28T00:00:00Z
         dateModified:2017-04-28T00:00:00Z
         pageStart:1
         pageEnd:19
         license:http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
         sameAs:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-017-0268-4
         keywords:
            Sterile womb
            In utero colonization
            Microbiome
            Placenta
            Contamination
            Axenic animals
            Medical Microbiology
            Bioinformatics
            Microbial Ecology
            Microbiology
            Microbial Genetics and Genomics
            Virology
         image:
            https://media.springernature.com/lw1200/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1186%2Fs40168-017-0268-4/MediaObjects/40168_2017_268_Fig1_HTML.gif
            https://media.springernature.com/lw1200/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1186%2Fs40168-017-0268-4/MediaObjects/40168_2017_268_Fig2_HTML.gif
            https://media.springernature.com/lw1200/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1186%2Fs40168-017-0268-4/MediaObjects/40168_2017_268_Fig3_HTML.gif
            https://media.springernature.com/lw1200/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1186%2Fs40168-017-0268-4/MediaObjects/40168_2017_268_Fig4_HTML.gif
         isPartOf:
            name:Microbiome
            issn:
               2049-2618
            volumeNumber:5
            type:
               Periodical
               PublicationVolume
         publisher:
            name:BioMed Central
            logo:
               url:https://www.springernature.com/app-sn/public/images/logo-springernature.png
               type:ImageObject
            type:Organization
         author:
               name:Maria Elisa Perez-Muñoz
               affiliation:
                     name:University of Alberta
                     address:
                        name:Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 4-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
                        type:PostalAddress
                     type:Organization
               type:Person
               name:Marie-Claire Arrieta
               affiliation:
                     name:University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine
                     address:
                        name:Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
                        type:PostalAddress
                     type:Organization
                     name:University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine
                     address:
                        name:Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
                        type:PostalAddress
                     type:Organization
               type:Person
               name:Amanda E. Ramer-Tait
               affiliation:
                     name:University of Nebraska-Lincoln
                     address:
                        name:Department of Food Science and Technology, 260 Food Innovation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, USA
                        type:PostalAddress
                     type:Organization
               type:Person
               name:Jens Walter
               url:http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1754-172X
               affiliation:
                     name:University of Alberta
                     address:
                        name:Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 4-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
                        type:PostalAddress
                     type:Organization
                     name:University of Alberta
                     address:
                        name:Department of Biological Sciences, 7-142 Katz Group Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
                        type:PostalAddress
                     type:Organization
               email:[email protected]
               type:Person
         isAccessibleForFree:1
         type:ScholarlyArticle
      context:https://schema.org
ScholarlyArticle:
      headline:A critical assessment of the “sterile womb” and “in utero colonization” hypotheses: implications for research on the pioneer infant microbiome
      description:After more than a century of active research, the notion that the human fetal environment is sterile and that the neonate’s microbiome is acquired during and after birth was an accepted dogma. However, recent studies using molecular techniques suggest bacterial communities in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and meconium from healthy pregnancies. These findings have led many scientists to challenge the “sterile womb paradigm” and propose that microbiome acquisition instead begins in utero, an idea that would fundamentally change our understanding of gut microbiota acquisition and its role in human development. In this review, we provide a critical assessment of the evidence supporting these two opposing hypotheses, specifically as it relates to (i) anatomical, immunological, and physiological characteristics of the placenta and fetus; (ii) the research methods currently used to study microbial populations in the intrauterine environment; (iii) the fecal microbiome during the first days of life; and (iv) the generation of axenic animals and humans. Based on this analysis, we argue that the evidence in support of the “in utero colonization hypothesis” is extremely weak as it is founded almost entirely on studies that (i) used molecular approaches with an insufficient detection limit to study “low-biomass” microbial populations, (ii) lacked appropriate controls for contamination, and (iii) failed to provide evidence of bacterial viability. Most importantly, the ability to reliably derive axenic animals via cesarean sections strongly supports sterility of the fetal environment in mammals. We conclude that current scientific evidence does not support the existence of microbiomes within the healthy fetal milieu, which has implications for the development of clinical practices that prevent microbiome perturbations after birth and the establishment of future research priorities.
      datePublished:2017-04-28T00:00:00Z
      dateModified:2017-04-28T00:00:00Z
      pageStart:1
      pageEnd:19
      license:http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
      sameAs:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-017-0268-4
      keywords:
         Sterile womb
         In utero colonization
         Microbiome
         Placenta
         Contamination
         Axenic animals
         Medical Microbiology
         Bioinformatics
         Microbial Ecology
         Microbiology
         Microbial Genetics and Genomics
         Virology
      image:
         https://media.springernature.com/lw1200/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1186%2Fs40168-017-0268-4/MediaObjects/40168_2017_268_Fig1_HTML.gif
         https://media.springernature.com/lw1200/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1186%2Fs40168-017-0268-4/MediaObjects/40168_2017_268_Fig2_HTML.gif
         https://media.springernature.com/lw1200/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1186%2Fs40168-017-0268-4/MediaObjects/40168_2017_268_Fig3_HTML.gif
         https://media.springernature.com/lw1200/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1186%2Fs40168-017-0268-4/MediaObjects/40168_2017_268_Fig4_HTML.gif
      isPartOf:
         name:Microbiome
         issn:
            2049-2618
         volumeNumber:5
         type:
            Periodical
            PublicationVolume
      publisher:
         name:BioMed Central
         logo:
            url:https://www.springernature.com/app-sn/public/images/logo-springernature.png
            type:ImageObject
         type:Organization
      author:
            name:Maria Elisa Perez-Muñoz
            affiliation:
                  name:University of Alberta
                  address:
                     name:Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 4-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
                     type:PostalAddress
                  type:Organization
            type:Person
            name:Marie-Claire Arrieta
            affiliation:
                  name:University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine
                  address:
                     name:Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
                     type:PostalAddress
                  type:Organization
                  name:University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine
                  address:
                     name:Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
                     type:PostalAddress
                  type:Organization
            type:Person
            name:Amanda E. Ramer-Tait
            affiliation:
                  name:University of Nebraska-Lincoln
                  address:
                     name:Department of Food Science and Technology, 260 Food Innovation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, USA
                     type:PostalAddress
                  type:Organization
            type:Person
            name:Jens Walter
            url:http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1754-172X
            affiliation:
                  name:University of Alberta
                  address:
                     name:Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 4-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
                     type:PostalAddress
                  type:Organization
                  name:University of Alberta
                  address:
                     name:Department of Biological Sciences, 7-142 Katz Group Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
                     type:PostalAddress
                  type:Organization
            email:[email protected]
            type:Person
      isAccessibleForFree:1
["Periodical","PublicationVolume"]:
      name:Microbiome
      issn:
         2049-2618
      volumeNumber:5
Organization:
      name:BioMed Central
      logo:
         url:https://www.springernature.com/app-sn/public/images/logo-springernature.png
         type:ImageObject
      name:University of Alberta
      address:
         name:Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 4-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
         type:PostalAddress
      name:University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine
      address:
         name:Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
         type:PostalAddress
      name:University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine
      address:
         name:Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
         type:PostalAddress
      name:University of Nebraska-Lincoln
      address:
         name:Department of Food Science and Technology, 260 Food Innovation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, USA
         type:PostalAddress
      name:University of Alberta
      address:
         name:Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 4-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
         type:PostalAddress
      name:University of Alberta
      address:
         name:Department of Biological Sciences, 7-142 Katz Group Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
         type:PostalAddress
ImageObject:
      url:https://www.springernature.com/app-sn/public/images/logo-springernature.png
Person:
      name:Maria Elisa Perez-Muñoz
      affiliation:
            name:University of Alberta
            address:
               name:Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 4-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
               type:PostalAddress
            type:Organization
      name:Marie-Claire Arrieta
      affiliation:
            name:University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine
            address:
               name:Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
               type:PostalAddress
            type:Organization
            name:University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine
            address:
               name:Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
               type:PostalAddress
            type:Organization
      name:Amanda E. Ramer-Tait
      affiliation:
            name:University of Nebraska-Lincoln
            address:
               name:Department of Food Science and Technology, 260 Food Innovation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, USA
               type:PostalAddress
            type:Organization
      name:Jens Walter
      url:http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1754-172X
      affiliation:
            name:University of Alberta
            address:
               name:Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 4-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
               type:PostalAddress
            type:Organization
            name:University of Alberta
            address:
               name:Department of Biological Sciences, 7-142 Katz Group Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
               type:PostalAddress
            type:Organization
      email:[email protected]
PostalAddress:
      name:Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 4-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
      name:Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
      name:Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
      name:Department of Food Science and Technology, 260 Food Innovation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, USA
      name:Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 4-126 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
      name:Department of Biological Sciences, 7-142 Katz Group Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

External Links {🔗}(451)

Analytics and Tracking {📊}

Google Tag Manager

Libraries {📚}

Clipboard.js
Prism.js

CDN Services {📦}

Crossref

5.72s.

LINK . SPRINGER . COM {}