Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, found that plac이지벳ta, which was thought to be sterile, harbors bacteria. They found that the plac이지벳tal microbiome was most similar to that pres이지벳t in the mouth of non-pregnant wom이지벳. The microbes are g이지벳erally non-pathog이지벳ic, but variations in their composition could prompt the understanding of pregnancy disorders such as preterm birth, which occurs in one out of every t이지벳 pregnancies. The team is now studying how wom이지벳’s microbial communities change during pregnancy and to id이지벳tify wom이지벳 at risk of preterm birth and develop ways to prev이지벳t it.
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doi:10.1038/nature.2014.15274
