Lactamica 9: Neisseria Lactamica Inoculation in Late Pregnancy

Bacteria living in the nose and throat are generally harmless, but in some circumstances cause infections of the lungs (pneumonia) and brain (meningitis), which are among the commonest causes of death worldwide in young children (especially newborns). Babies with certain 'good' bacteria in the nose and throat are less likely to have infections by such 'bad' bacteria. Scientists have tried giving probiotics ('good' bacteria swallowed or sprayed into the nose) to pregnant women, new mothers and babies. These studies show that many probiotics are safe, but the amount of bacteria given is often unknown, and it is unclear if they work. A more precise option is to use controlled inoculation, by inserting a specific amount of particular 'good' bacteria into the nose under carefully controlled conditions. Our team have previously shown that inoculation with Neisseria lactamica ('good' bacteria) safely and reliably decreases Neisseria meningitidis ('bad' bacteria) in healthy adults' noses. N. lactamica is a type of harmless bacteria found in over 40% of children aged 1-2 years, but is uncommon in newborns and adults. We plan to inoculate 20 healthy pregnant women with N. lactamica nose drops, to find out if it is transferred to their babies after birth. Newborns become rapidly covered (colonised) with bacteria from their mothers, other people, and the environment, so this method mimics a natural way that babies receive bacteria. We will take saliva and nose swabs one day, one week, one month and four months after birth, and will use microbiological and genetic methods to study how the bacteria changes in babies compared with their mothers.