Changes in Vaginal Microbial Communities in African-American Women with Bacterial Vaginosis
Author Information
Author(s): John Wertz, Natasha Isaacs-Cosgrove, Claudia Holzman, Terence L. Marsh
Primary Institution: Michigan State University
Hypothesis
How do the microbial communities in the vaginal tract of nonpregnant African-American women differ between those with and without bacterial vaginosis over time?
Conclusion
Women without bacterial vaginosis had stable vaginal communities dominated by lactobacilli, while those with bacterial vaginosis exhibited greater diversity and instability in their microbial communities.
Supporting Evidence
- Women with bacterial vaginosis had communities with greater diversity and instability over time.
- Lactobacillus was the dominant genus in women without bacterial vaginosis.
- Phylogenetic assessments revealed significant differences in microbial community structure between BV positive and negative women.
Takeaway
This study looked at the bacteria in the vaginas of women and found that those with a condition called bacterial vaginosis had a lot more different types of bacteria, which changed a lot over time, compared to women without the condition who had mostly one type of bacteria.
Methodology
The study involved collecting vaginal samples from seven women at multiple time points and analyzing the microbial communities using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
Potential Biases
Potential biases could arise from PCR amplification and library construction, including primer bias.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and was limited to a specific demographic group, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
All participants were nonpregnant African-American women who were not using hormone-based contraceptives.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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