Vaginal microbiome

To investigate the vaginal microbiota signature of patients with gynecologic cancer and evaluate its diagnostic biomarker potential. We incorporated vaginal 16S rRNA-seq data from 529 women and utilized VSEARCH to analyze the raw data. α-Diversity was evaluated utilizing the Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson indices, and β-diversity was evaluated through principal component analysis using Bray-Curtis distances. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) was utilized to determine species differences between groups...

Prevotella species, notably Prevotella copri, significantly populate the human gut. In particular, P. copri is prevalent among non-Western populations with diets high in fiber. These species show complex relationships with diverse health aspects, associating with beneficial outcomes, including reduced visceral fat and improved glucose tolerance. Studies implicate various Prevotella species in specific diseases. Prevotella nigrescens and Porphyromonas gingivalis were linked to periodontal disease, promoting immune responses and influencing T helper type 17 (Th17) cells...

The vaginal microbiome differs by race and contributes to inflammation by directly producing or consuming metabolites or by indirectly inducing host immune response, but its potential contributions to ovarian cancer (OC) disparities remain unclear. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, we examine whether vaginal fluid metabolites differ by race among patients with OC, if they are associated with systemic inflammation, and if such associations differ by race. Study participants were recruited from the Ovarian Cancer Epidemiology, Healthcare Access, and Disparities Study between March 2021 and September 2022...

Vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) is a chronic and progressive dermatologic condition that can cause physical dysfunction, disfigurement, and impaired quality of life. However, the etiology of VLS remains unknown. The vulvar skin, intestinal and vaginal microbiomes have been postulated to play important roles in the pathogenesis of this disease. The aim of this study was to compare the compositional characteristics of the vulvar skin, vagina, and gut microbiota between perimenopausal or postmenopausal VLS patients and healthy controls...

The vaginal microbiome's composition varies among ethnicities. However, the evolutionary landscape of the vaginal microbiome in the multi-ethnic context remains understudied. We perform a systematic evolutionary analysis of 351 vaginal microbiome samples from 35 multi-ethnic pregnant women, in addition to two validation cohorts, totaling 462 samples from 90 women. Microbiome alpha diversity and community state dynamics show strong ethnic signatures. Lactobacillaceae have a higher ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous polymorphism and lower nucleotide diversity than non-Lactobacillaceae in all ethnicities, with a large repertoire of positively selected genes, including the mucin-binding and cell wall anchor genes...

Probiotics have been described to influence host health and prevent the risk of obesity by gut microbiome (GM) modulation. In a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled feasibility study, we investigated whether Vivomixx® multi-strain probiotics administered to 50 women with obesity during pregnancy altered the GM composition and perinatal health outcomes of their infants up to 9 months after birth. The mothers and infants were followed up with four visits after birth: at 3 d, and at 3, 6, and 9 months after delivery...

Dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiome poses a serious risk for sexual HIV-1 transmission. Prevotella spp. are abundant during vaginal dysbiosis and associated with enhanced HIV-1 susceptibility; however, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the direct effect of vaginal bacteria on HIV-1 susceptibility of vaginal CD4+ T cells. Notably, pre-exposure to Prevotella timonensis enhanced HIV-1 uptake by vaginal T cells, leading to increased viral fusion and enhanced virus production. Pre-exposure to antiretroviral inhibitors abolished Prevotella timonensis-enhanced infection...

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nanoparticles that carry small molecules, nucleic acids, and proteins long distances in the body facilitating cell-cell communication. Microorganism-derived EVs mediate communication between parent cells and host cells, with recent evidence supporting their role in biofilm formation, horizontal gene transfer, and suppression of the host immune system. As lipid-bound bacterial byproducts, EVs demonstrate improved cellular uptake and distribution in vivo compared to cell-free nucleic acids, proteins, or small molecules, allowing these biological nanoparticles to recapitulate the effects of parent cells and contribute to a range of human health outcomes...

OBJECTIVE: Given the multifactorial pathogenesis of juvenile spondyloarthritis (JSpA) and evidence of a protective effect in phenotypically similar diseases, we aimed to test whether breastfeeding is associated with the development and disease activity of JSpA. METHODS: This single center retrospective case-control study included children with JSpA and age- and sex-matched controls with a 1:1 ratio. Univariable and multivariable conditional logistic regression modeling for matched pairs was used to test the association of infant factors with the development of JSpA, including infant nutrition and form of delivery...

INTRODUCTION: Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Cervicovaginal microbiota plays an important role in HPV infection and is associated with the development of squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL). The natural history of cervical cancer involves reversible changes in the cervical tissue from a normal state, in which no neoplastic changes are detected in the squamous epithelium, to varying states of cellular abnormalities that ultimately lead to cervical cancer...

Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) is the leading cause of vaginal symptoms in breast cancer survivors treated with aromatase inhibitors. However, there are currently no effective treatment options available for women with a history of breast cancer. Recent research has established that changes in the vaginal microbiome may be linked to GSM. Most studies have assessed the microbiome without accounting for the estrogen status. It remains unknown whether the vaginal microbiome differ among patients with a low estrogenic state with and without vulvovaginal symptoms...

Introduction. Cervicovaginal diversity has been reported as a predictive biomarker for cervical cancer risk. We recently reported the bio-therapeutic potential of vaginal probiotics from healthy Indian women against vaginal pathogens, isolated from the invasive cervical cancer (ICC) patients. Gap Statement. The cervicovaginal microflora from cervical cancer patients has not yet been reported from Indian population. Aim. The present study aimed at comparing the cervicovaginal microbiome between healthy controls (HC) and ICC patients from the Indian population...

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted virus, which infects approximately 80% of all men and women at some time in their lives. Usually, the infection is resolved successfully by the body's immune system. Persistent infection with high-risk HPV (hrHPV) is necessary but not sufficient for cervical cancer development, and additional factors, such as the vaginal microbiome (vaginome), are thought to be involved. The aim of this study is to investigate whether either vaginal dysbiosis (imbalance in vaginal bacterial composition) or sexually transmitted pathogens, e...

With the expansion of human microbiome studies in the last 15 years, we have realized the immense implications of microbes in human health. The human holobiont is now accepted, given the commensal relationships with bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, and human cells. The cervicovaginal microbiota is a specific case within the human microbiome where diversity is lower to maintain a chemical barrier of protection against infections. This narrative review focuses on the vaginal microbiome. It summarizes key findings on how native bacteria protect women from disease or predispose them to damaging inflammatory processes with an emphasis on the role of HPV infections in Latin America, one of the world's regions with the highest cervical cancer prevalence...

AIMS: Epidemiological research has shown relevant differences between sexes in clinical manifestations, severity, and progression of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. To date, the mechanisms underlying these differences remain unknown. Given the rising incidence of such diseases, gender-specific research on established and emerging risk factors, such as dysfunction of glycaemic and/or lipid metabolism, of sex hormones and of gut microbiome, is of paramount importance. The relationships between sex hormones, gut microbiome, and host glycaemic and/or lipid metabolism are largely unknown even in the homoeostasis status...

INTRODUCTION: Ingestion of human milk (HM) is identified as a significant factor associated with early infant gut microbial colonization, which has been associated with infant health and development. Maternal diet has been associated with the HM microbiome (HMM). However, a few studies have explored the associations among maternal diet, HMM, and infant growth during the first 6 months of lactation. METHODS: For this cross-sectional study, Mam -Mayan mother-infant dyads ( n  = 64) were recruited from 8 rural communities in the Western Highlands of Guatemala at two stages of lactation: early (6-46 days postpartum, n  = 29) or late (109-184 days postpartum, n  = 35)...

BACKGROUND: Although the human bladder is reported to harbor unique microbiota, our understanding of how these microbial communities interact with their human hosts is limited, mostly owing to the lack of isolates to test mechanistic hypotheses. Niche-specific bacterial collections and associated reference genome databases have been instrumental in expanding knowledge of the microbiota of other anatomical sites, such as the gut and oral cavity. RESULTS: To facilitate genomic, functional, and experimental analyses of the human bladder microbiota, we present a bladder-specific bacterial isolate reference collection comprising 1134 genomes, primarily from adult females...

Colonization of the vaginal space with bacteria such as Gardnerella vaginalis and Mobiluncus mulieris is associated with increased risk for STIs, bacterial vaginosis, and preterm birth, while Lactobacillus crispatus is associated with optimal reproductive health. Although host-microbe interactions are hypothesized to contribute to reproductive health and disease, the bacterial mediators that are critical to this response remain unclear. Bacterial extracellular vesicles (bEVs) are proposed to participate in host-microbe communication by providing protection of bacterial cargo, delivery to intracellular targets, and ultimately induction of immune responses from the host...

Although numerous studies have demonstrated the impact of microbiome manipulation on human health, research on the microbiome's influence on female health remains relatively limited despite substantial disease burden. In light of this, we present a selected review of clinical trials and preclinical studies targeting both the vaginal and gut microbiome for the prevention or treatment of various gynecologic conditions. Specifically, we explore studies that leverage microbiota transplants, probiotics, prebiotics, diet modifications, and engineered microbial strains...

There is a deficiency in population-based studies investigating the impact of HPV infection on vaginal microenvironment, which influences the risk of persistent HPV infection. This prospective study aimed to unravel the dynamics of vaginal microbiota (VM) and vaginal metabolome in reaction to the changed state of HPV infection. Our results propose that the vaginal metabolome may be a superior indicator to VM when assessing the impact of altered HPV state on the vaginal microenvironment.