Maternal-neonatal transmission of Enterococcus strains during delivery

Background Cesarean delivery (c-section) is on the rise globally. C-section is generally preferred if complications prevail in a vaginal delivery. Some private institutions conduct it unnecessarily for economic gains. This has led to a severe risk to a child’s health. The neonate’s gut microbiota has been observed to be influenced by the mode of delivery. Lactobacilli and other bacteria are very vital for developing healthy gut flora. An attempt has been made to investigate the passage of lactic acid bacteria to the infant via delivery. The vaginal swabs of the mothers and fresh meconium samples of the newborns post-delivery were examined for the presence of lactobacilli through culture techniques. Results The present investigation revealed that c-section-delivered infants lacked these bacteria in comparison with vaginally delivered infants. Biochemical tests and 16S rRNA sequencing showed similarity with groups 1, 2, 3, and 5 ofEnterococcusgenus. Phylogenetic analysis revealed more than 98% similarity with severalEnterococcusspecies.E. canintestini,E.rivorum, andE. disparwere transferred frequently from mother to infants born via vaginal delivery. The strains were submitted to the NCBI GenBank database under accession numbers KX830968–KX830982. Conclusion The study supports the hypothesis of maternal-neonatal transmission of bacteria during delivery and also possibilities of isolating newer strains for probiotic use.