Exposure to maternal vaginal flora during labor and long-term infectious morbidity of the offspring.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Cesarean delivery (CD) has been linked to increased long-term infectious morbidity in offspring, potentially due to limited exposure to the maternal vaginal microbiome, which may influence immune development. We hypothesized that the degree of exposure to vaginal microbiota during labor would be associated with differences in long-term infectious morbidity.

Methods

We conducted a population-based cohort study including 348,332 singleton deliveries. Offspring were classified into four groups: vaginal delivery (VD, reference), CD for non-progressive labor in the first stage (NPL1), CD for non-progressive labor in the second stage (NPL2), and elective (pre-labor) CD. Infectious-related hospitalizations up to age 18 were assessed. Kaplan-Meier curves compared cumulative

SUBMITTER: Ben-Dahan O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12774975 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature