scholarly journals A novel sequencing-based vaginal health assay combining self-sampling, HPV detection and genotyping, STI detection, and vaginal microbiome analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. e0215945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth M. Bik ◽  
Sara W. Bird ◽  
Juan P. Bustamante ◽  
Luis E. Leon ◽  
Pamela A. Nieto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaginal Microbiome ◽  
Microbiome Analysis ◽  
Vaginal Health

scholarly journals Group B Streptococcus and the vaginal microbiome among pregnant women: a systematic review

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11437
Author(s):  
Sungju Lim ◽  
Shilpa Rajagopal ◽  
Ye Ryn Jeong ◽  
Dumebi Nzegwu ◽  
Michelle L. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Group B Streptococcus ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Vaginal Microbiome ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Microbiome Analysis ◽  
Genus Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Subsequent Birth ◽  
Group B

Background Vaginal microbiome studies frequently report diversity metrics and communities of microbiomes associated with reproductive health outcomes. Reports of Streptococcus agalactiae (also known as Group B Streptococcus or GBS), the leading cause of neonatal infectious morbidity and mortality, are notably lacking from the studies of the vaginal microbiome, despite being a known contributor to preterm birth and other complications. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to explore the frequency of GBS reporting in vaginal microbiome literature pertaining to pregnancy and to examine methodological bias that contributes to differences in species and genus-level microbiome reporting. Lack of identification of GBS via sequencing-based approaches due to methodologic or reporting bias may result incomplete understanding of bacterial composition during pregnancy and subsequent birth outcomes. Methodology A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guideline. Three databases (PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science) were used to identify papers for review based on the search terms “vaginal microbiome”, “pregnancy”, and “16S rRNA sequencing”. Articles were evaluated for methods of DNA extraction and sequencing, 16S region, taxonomy classification database, number of participants or vaginal specimens, and pregnancy trimester. Results Forty-five research articles reported employing a metagenomic approach or 16S approach for vaginal microbiome analysis during pregnancy that explicitly reported taxonomic composition and were included in this review. Less than 30% of articles reported the presence of GBS (N = 13). No significant differences in methodology were identified between articles that reported versus did not report GBS. However, there was large variability across research methods used for vaginal microbiome analysis and species-level bacterial community reporting. Conclusion Considerable differences in study design and data formatting methods may contribute to underrepresentation of GBS, and other known pathogens, in existing vaginal microbiome literature. Previous studies have identified considerable variation in methodology across vaginal microbiome studies. This study adds to this body of work because in addition to laboratory or statistical methods, how results and data are shared (e.g., only analyzing genus level data or 20 most abundant microbes), may hinder reproducibility and limit our understanding of the influence of less abundant microbes. Sharing detailed methods, analysis code, and raw data may improve reproducibility and ability to more accurately compare microbial communities across studies.

scholarly journals Vaginal health in women and the possibility of predicting preterm birth through microbiome analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 833-840
Author(s):  
Young Min Hur ◽  
Mi Na Kang ◽  
Young Ju Kim
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Lactic Acid Production ◽  
Premenopausal Women ◽  
The Body ◽  
Lactobacillus Species ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing Technology ◽  
Microbiome Composition ◽  
Microbiome Analysis ◽  
Prediction And Prevention ◽  
Vaginal Health

Background: With the recent development of next-generation sequencing technology, the microbiome in the body is being revealed in detail. It is also possible to describe the normal vaginal microenvironment and, more specifically, any changes in pregnancy. Moreover, we present the hypothesis that the microbiome is a contributing factor to preterm birth (PTB).Current Concepts: High estrogen status stimulates the maturation and proliferation of vaginal epithelial cells and the accumulation of glycogen, which promotes lactic acid production and maintains the vaginal environment at an acidic pH. The vaginas of most premenopausal women are predominantly colonized by Lactobacillus which plays an important role in local defense. Recently, it has also been reported that there are several specific types of Lactobacillus species, while other anaerobes, including Gardnerella and Atopobium also coexist in the vagina. Vaginal dysbiosis is defined as various expressions of microorganisms, secretion of specific metabolites, and changes in pH. During pregnancy, a multitude of microbiome changes occur in the oral cavity, gut, vagina, and placenta. The risk of PTB increases if the microbiome changes to one of dysbiosis. It is possible to analyze the characteristic microbiome composition related to PTB and to develop biomarkers predicting PTB. It is necessary to educate patients based on these findings.Discussion and Conclusion: Microbiome analysis has contributed significantly to understanding the association between women’s vaginal health and PTB. Continued research will also contribute to public health by assisting in the prediction and prevention of PTB.

scholarly journals Has knowledge of the vaginal microbiome altered approaches to health and disease?

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregor Reid
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Characterization ◽  
Vaginal Microbiota ◽  
Vaginal Microbiome ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Microbiome Research ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Vaginal Health

Sixteen years ago, when we published the first molecular characterization of the vaginal microbiota, little did we know the vast numbers of species that would be detected in this niche. As exciting as these discoveries have been, what have they and more recent advances contributed to how vaginal health and disease are managed? This review provides a brief discussion of the potential, but so far limited, applications that have arisen from microbiome research. Calls for innovation have been made before but to little avail.

scholarly journals Finding a Balance in the Vaginal Microbiome: How Do We Treat and Prevent the Occurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis?

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 719
Author(s):  
Rebecca Jane Joseph ◽  
Hooi-Leng Ser ◽  
Yi-He Kuai ◽  
Loh Teng-Hern Tan ◽  
Valliammai Jayanthi Thirunavuk Arasoo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Vaginosis ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Vaginal Microbiota ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Gardnerella Vaginalis ◽  
Vaginal Microbiome ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Healthy State ◽  
Vaginal Health ◽  
Pathogenic Microbes

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) has been reported in one-third of women worldwide at different life stages, due to the complex balance in the ecology of the vaginal microbiota. It is a common cause of abnormal vaginal discharge and is associated with other health issues. Since the first description of anaerobic microbes associated with BV like Gardnerella vaginalis in the 1950s, researchers have stepped up the game by incorporating advanced molecular tools to monitor and evaluate the extent of dysbiosis within the vaginal microbiome, particularly on how specific microbial population changes compared to a healthy state. Moreover, treatment failure and BV recurrence rate remain high despite the standard antibiotic treatment. Consequently, researchers have been probing into alternative or adjunct treatments, including probiotics or even vaginal microbiota transplants, to ensure successful treatment outcomes and reduce the colonization by pathogenic microbes of the female reproductive tract. The current review summarizes the latest findings in probiotics use for BV and explores the potential of vaginal microbiota transplants in restoring vaginal health.

scholarly journals Implications of the vaginal microbiome and potential restorative strategies on maternal health: a narrative review

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Moumne ◽  
Mary E. Hampe ◽  
Diana Montoya-Williams ◽  
Tiffany L. Carson ◽  
Josef Neu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Therapeutic Benefit ◽  
Vaginal Microbiome ◽  
Vaginal Microflora ◽  
Increase Risk ◽  
Vaginal Health ◽  
Restoration Strategies ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Potential Therapeutic Benefit

Abstract The vaginal microbiome undergoes dramatic shifts before and throughout pregnancy. Although the genetic and environmental factors that regulate the vaginal microbiome have yet to be fully elucidated, high-throughput sequencing has provided an unprecedented opportunity to interrogate the vaginal microbiome as a potential source of next-generation therapeutics. Accumulating data demonstrates that vaginal health during pregnancy includes commensal bacteria such as Lactobacillus that serve to reduce pH and prevent pathogenic invasion. Vaginal microbes have been studied as contributors to several conditions occurring before and during pregnancy, and an emerging topic in women’s health is finding ways to alter and restore the vaginal microbiome. Among these restorations, perhaps the most significant effect could be preterm labor (PTL) prevention. Since bacterial vaginosis (BV) is known to increase risk of PTL, and vaginal and oral probiotics are effective as supplemental treatments for BV prevention, a potential therapeutic benefit exists for pregnant women at risk of PTL. A new method of restoration, vaginal microbiome transplants (VMTs) involves transfer of one women’s cervicovaginal secretions to another. New studies investigating recurrent BV will determine if VMTs can safely establish a healthy Lactobacillus-dominant vaginal microbiome. In most cases, caution must be taken in attributing a disease state and vaginal dysbiosis with a causal relationship, since the underlying reason for dysbiosis is usually unknown. This review focuses on the impact of vaginal microflora on maternal outcomes before and during pregnancy, including PTL, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and infertility. It then reviews the clinical evidence focused on vaginal restoration strategies, including VMTs.

scholarly journals A new sequencing-based women’s health assay combining self-sampling, HPV detection and genotyping, STI detection, and vaginal microbiome analysis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth M. Bik ◽  
Sara W. Bird ◽  
Juan P. Bustamante ◽  
Luis E. Leon ◽  
Pamela A. Nieto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Vaginal Microbiome ◽  
Dna Test ◽  
Microbiome Analysis ◽  
Hpv Types

AbstractThe composition of the vaginal microbiome, including both the presence of pathogens involved in sexually transmitted infections (STI) as well as commensal microbiota, has been shown to have important associations for a woman’s reproductive and general health. Currently, healthcare providers cannot offer comprehensive vaginal microbiome screening, but are limited to the detection of individual pathogens, such as high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV), the predominant cause of cervical cancer. There is no single test on the market that combines HPV, STI, and microbiome screening. Here, we describe a novel inclusive women’s health assay that combines self-sampling with sequencing-based HPV detection and genotyping, vaginal microbiome analysis, and STI-associated pathogen detection. The assay includes genotyping and detection of 14 hrHPV types, 5 low-risk HPV types (lrHPV), as well as the relative abundance of 32 bacterial taxa of clinical importance, includingLactobacillus,Sneathia,Gardnerella, and 4 pathogens involved in STI, with high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. For each of these taxa, healthy ranges were determined in a group of 50 self-reported healthy women. The hrHPV portion of the test was evaluated against the Digene High-Risk HPV HC2 DNA test with vaginal samples obtained from 185 women. Results were concordant for 181/185 of the samples (overall agreement of 97.83%, Cohen’s kappa = 0.93), with sensitivity and specificity values of 94.74% and 98.64%, respectively. Two discrepancies were caused by the Digene assay’s known cross-reactivity with low-risk HPV types, while two additional samples were found to contain hrHPV not detected by Digene. This novel assay could be used to complement conventional cervical cancer screening, because its self-sampling format can expand access among women who would otherwise not participate, and because of its additional information about the composition of the vaginal microbiome and the presence of pathogens.

453: Vaginal microbiome analysis reveals microbial complexity of bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy

2014 ◽  
Vol 210 (1) ◽  
pp. S228
Author(s):  
Akila Subramaniam ◽  
Casey Morrow ◽  
Ranjit Kumar ◽  
Suzanne Cliver ◽  
Jeffery Szychowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Vaginosis ◽  
Vaginal Microbiome ◽  
Microbiome Analysis ◽  
In Pregnancy

scholarly journals Contribution of Lactobacillus iners to Vaginal Health and Diseases: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nengneng Zheng ◽  
Renyong Guo ◽  
Jinxi Wang ◽  
Wei Zhou ◽  
Zongxin Ling
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Vaginal Microbiome ◽  
Culture Methods ◽  
Exact Role ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Vaginal Health ◽  
Adverse Pregnancy ◽  
De Man

Lactobacillus iners, first described in 1999, is a prevalent bacterial species of the vaginal microbiome. As L. iners does not easily grow on de Man-Rogosa-Sharpe agar, but can grow anaerobically on blood agar, it has been initially overlooked by traditional culture methods. It was not until the wide application of molecular biology techniques that the function of L. iners in the vaginal microbiome was carefully explored. L. iners has the smallest genome among known Lactobacilli and it has many probiotic characteristics, but is partly different from other major vaginal Lactobacillus species, such as L. crispatus, in contributing to the maintenance of a healthy vaginal microbiome. It is not only commonly present in the healthy vagina but quite often recovered in high numbers in bacterial vaginosis (BV). Increasing evidence suggests that L. iners is a transitional species that colonizes after the vaginal environment is disturbed and offers overall less protection against vaginal dysbiosis and, subsequently, leads to BV, sexually transmitted infections, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Accordingly, under certain conditions, L. iners is a genuine vaginal symbiont, but it also seems to be an opportunistic pathogen. Further studies are necessary to identify the exact role of this intriguing species in vaginal health and diseases.

Vaginal microbiome analysis of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) during estrous cycle using high-throughput amplicon sequence of 16S rRNA gene

Symbiosis ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srinivasan Mahalingam ◽  
Dhanasekaran Dharumadurai ◽  
Govindaraju Archunan
Keyword(s):  
16S Rrna ◽  
16S Rrna Gene ◽  
Estrous Cycle ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Bubalus Bubalis ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Vaginal Microbiome ◽  
Microbiome Analysis
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