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Comparative Study
. 2014 Jan;21(1):32-40.
doi: 10.1177/1933719113488838. Epub 2013 May 28.

Diversity of the vaginal microbiome correlates with preterm birth

Richard W Hyman  1 , Marilyn Fukushima, Hui Jiang, Eula Fung, Larry Rand, Brittni Johnson, Kim Chi Vo, Aaron B Caughey, Joan F Hilton, Ronald W Davis, Linda C Giudice
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Diversity of the vaginal microbiome correlates with preterm birth

Richard W Hyman et al. Reprod Sci. 2014 Jan.

Abstract

Reproductive tract infection is a major initiator of preterm birth (PTB). The objective of this prospective cohort study of 88 participants was to determine whether PTB correlates with the vaginal microbiome during pregnancy. Total DNA was purified from posterior vaginal fornix swabs during gestation. The 16S ribosomal RNA gene was amplified using polymerase chain reaction primers, followed by chain-termination sequencing. Bacteria were identified by comparing contig consensus sequences with the Ribosomal Database Project. Dichotomous responses were summarized via proportions and continuous variables via means ± standard deviation. Mean Shannon Diversity index differed by Welch t test (P = .00016) between caucasians with PTB and term gestation. Species diversity was greatest among African Americans (P = .0045). Change in microbiome/Lactobacillus content and presence of putative novel/noxious bacteria did not correlate with PTB. We conclude that uncultured vaginal bacteria play an important role in PTB and race/ethnicity and sampling location are important determinants of the vaginal microbiome.

Keywords: PTB; race/ethnicity; vaginal microbiome.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Chao1 analysis by race/ethnicity.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Shannon Diversity Index (SDI) for caucasians, separating preterm birth (PTB) from term birth.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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