The changing landscape of the vaginal microbiome

Abstract

Deep sequence analysis of the vaginal microbiome is revealing an unexpected complexity that was not anticipated as recently as several years ago. The lack of clarity in the definition of a healthy vaginal microbiome, much less an unhealthy vaginal microbiome, underscores the need for more investigation of these phenomena. Some clarity may be gained by the careful analysis of the genomes of the specific bacteria in these women. Ongoing studies will clarify this process and offer relief for women with recurring vaginal maladies and hope for pregnant women to avoid the experience of preterm birth.

Keywords: Bacterial vaginosis; Metagenomics; Microbiota; Pregnancy; Preterm birth; Vaginal microbiome.

Figure 1

Microbiome profiles of women of African American or European ancestry. Mid-vaginal relative abundance profiles using genus-level classification from (A) 960 African American women and (B) 330 women of European ancestry enrolled in the Vaginal Human Microbiome Project at VCU. The profiles are clustered by the dominant genus into different community types. All processed samples were represented by >5,000 reads. See Fettweis et al. for methodology. Black vertical dashes represent women with a clinical BV diagnosis. Data From: Fettweis JM, Brooks JP, Serrano MG, et al. Differences in vaginal microbiome in African American women versus women of European ancestry. Microbiology. 2014 [Epub ahead of print]