Regarding the letter, “Science: Theory not the same as fact”: The author misrepresents the details of the study that was reported on in the May 25 article “Study: Bacteria live even in healthy placentas”.
The author asks: “How hard is to take a sample of the placenta and do a culture for bacteria? Kids in 7th grade do cultures in petri dishes.” It’s not hard, but that’s not what was done in this study. From the abstract of “The Placenta Harbors a Unique Biome” by Aagard et al and published in Science and Translational Medicine 21, May 2014, Vol 6: “A population-based cohort of placental specimens collected under sterile conditions from 320 subjects with extensive clinical data was established for comparative 16s ribosomal DNA-based and whole genome shotgun (WGS) metagenomic studies.” So no, no petri dishes … just collecting hundreds of placentas, keeping them sterile, and running hundreds of bacterial DNA tests. Just try and get funding for that in your local junior high science class.
This was not a “simple test for a simple fact” as the writer asserts. Doing this type of research is painstaking in detail, time consuming and costs money. And the not so simple or obvious fact discovered was that the DNA signature of the bacteria in the placenta was most representative of oral bacteria. That’s right … the mouth. From the study: “In aggregate, the placental microbiome profiles were most akin to the human oral microbiome.” How did it get there? Well, the theory is that the bacteria came from mom’s mouth.
So why should we care if the scientific community is telling us about this research and their theory? The 89 placentas in this study were from pre-term births and had low levels of helpful bacteria. Pregnant women with gum (periodontal) disease have a higher risk of having premature or low birth weight babies. This is further evidence that mom’s oral health likely impacts the health of her fetus It also means more research will be done in this area, giving the scientific community a better understanding of how the oral bacteria in the placenta are helpful or harmful.
According to the March of Dimes, 15 countries account for two-thirds of the world’s pre-term births and the United States is sixth on that list. The United States is the only first world country on that list. Yes, Mr. Whitley, science does have much to learn. That is a fact and that is what draws many of us to science. And I think we can agree that whatever scientists can learn to prevent the birth of pre-term babies is a worthy endeavor, regardless of your mistrust of the scientific community at large.
Eve Rutherford, DDS
Snohomish
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