Microbiome study links missing gut bacteria to high preterm births in Karachi slum

Researchers in Karachi found that women in the Rehri Goth fishing community who lack the gut bacterium Prevotella copri are far more likely to deliver prematurely.

The fishing settlement of Rehri Goth near Karachi records a preterm birth rate of roughly 25%, far exceeding Pakistan’s already high national figure. Field observations point to chronic malnutrition, scorching temperatures and poor sanitation as contributing factors. Dr. Fyezah Jehan’s group at Agha Khan University analyzed fecal samples from 108 women, half of whom delivered at term and half preterm, and found that the gut microbe Prevotella copri was markedly reduced in the latter group.

This “eureka moment” offers a biological clue that may explain the community’s premature-birth surge. The team is now conducting replication studies with samples from other areas and different years, and is working to grow the bacterium for potential probiotic trials. Infectious-disease specialist Dr. Vincent B. Young notes that while the link is strong, it does not establish cause and effect, and supplementing the bacterium may not overcome other suppressive factors. Nonetheless, the microbiome marker could become a tool for early identification of high-risk pregnancies, even as donors remain reluctant to fund broader sanitation and education improvements.