Title
Correlates of the molecular vaginal microbiota composition of African women
Author
TNO Kwaliteit van Leven
Gautam, R.
Borgdorff, H.
Jespers, V.
Francis, S.C.
Verhelst, R.
Mwaura, M.
Delany-Moretlwe, S.
Ndayisaba, G.
Kyongo, J.K.
Hardy, L.
Menten, HJ.
Crucitti, T.
Tsivtsivadze, E.
Schuren, F.
van de Wijgert, J.H.R.M.
Vaginal biomarkers Study Group,
Publication year
2015
Abstract
Background: Sociodemographic, behavioral and clinical correlates of the vaginal microbiome (VMB) as characterized by molecular methods have not been adequately studied. VMB dominated by bacteria other than lactobacilli may cause inflammation, which may facilitate HIV acquisition and other adverse reproductive health outcomes. Methods: We characterized the VMB of women in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania (KRST) using a 16S rDNA phylogenetic microarray. Cytokines were quantified in cervicovaginal lavages. Potential sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical correlates were also evaluated. Results: Three hundred thirteen samples from 230 women were available for analysis. Five VMB clusters were identified: one cluster each dominated by Lactobacillus crispatus (KRST-I) and L. iners (KRST-II), and three clusters not dominated by a single species but containing multiple (facultative) anaerobes (KRST-III/IV/V). Women in clusters KRST-I and II had lower mean concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1α (p < 0.001) and Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) (p = 0.01), but higher concentrations of interferon-γ-induced protein (IP-10) (p < 0.01) than women in clusters KRST-III/IV/V. A lower proportion of women in cluster KRST-I tested positive for bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs; ptrend = 0.07) and urinary tract infection (UTI; p = 0.06), and a higher proportion of women in clusters KRST-I and II had vaginal candidiasis (ptrend = 0.09), but these associations did not reach statistical significance. Women who reported unusual vaginal discharge were more likely to belong to clusters KRST-III/IV/V (p = 0.05). Conclusion: Vaginal dysbiosis in African women was significantly associated with vaginal inflammation; the associations with increased prevalence of STIs and UTI, and decreased prevalence of vaginal candidiasis, should be confirmed in larger studies. © 2015 Gautam et al. Chemicals / CAS gamma interferon inducible protein 10, 97741-20-3
Subject
Bacterial vaginosis
Candidiasis
HIV
Sexually transmitted infections
Urinary tract infections
Vaginal microbiome
Vaginal microbiota
Women
DNA 16S
gamma interferon inducible protein 10
gestagen
granulocyte colony stimulating factor
interleukin 1alpha
oral contraceptive agent
African
Atopobium vaginae
condom
controlled study
Dialister
DNA microarray
Gardnerella vaginalis
intrauterine contraceptive device
Kenya
Lactobacillus
Lactobacillus crispatus
Lactobacillus iners
major clinical study
Megasphaera
microbial diversity
Mobiluncus
nonhuman
Prevotella
Rwanda
sexually transmitted disease
South Africa
Tanzania
urinary tract infection
vagina candidiasis
vagina discharge
vagina flora
vaginal lavage
genetics
isolation and purification
microbiology
microflora
young adult
Adolescent
Adult
Africa
Female
HIV Infections
Humans
Lactobacillus
Microbiota
Phylogeny
Prevalence
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial
Vagina
Young Adult
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1d472725-95bb-4d0d-871b-7d6d47a034a7
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-015-0831-1
TNO identifier
954643
ISSN
1471-2334
Source
BMC Infectious Diseases, 15 (15)
Document type
article