Frontiers in microbiology
Structural and functional characterization of the gut microbiota in women with early pregnancy loss in Northwest China
By Yao H, Chen J, Liu C and 4 others.
Abstract
Background
Early pregnancy loss (EPL) is a common adverse pregnancy outcome with a complex and incompletely understood etiology. Moreover, metagenomic studies of the gut microbiota in women with EPL in Northwest China remain limited.
Objective
This study aimed to characterize differences in gut microbial composition and predicted functional potential between women with EPL (EPL group) and normal controls (NCs) using shotgun metagenomic sequencing.
Methods
We collected fecal samples from 216 women in Northwest China (EPL group, n = 72; NCs, n = 144). Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was performed to analyze gut microbiota composition and assess the functional potential of the microbiota.