Abstract:
The vagina contains at least a billion microbial cells, dominated by lactobacilli. Here we perform metagenomic shotgun sequencing on cervical and fecal samples from a cohort of 516 Chinese women of reproductive age, as well as cervical, fecal, and salivary samples from a second cohort of 632 women. Factors such as pregnancyhistory, delivery history, cesarean section, and breastfeeding were all more important than menstrual cycle in shaping the microbiome, and such information would be necessary before trying to interpret differences between vagino-cervical microbiome data. Greater proportion of Bifidobacterium breve was seen with older age at sexual debut. The relative abundance of lactobacilli especially Lactobacillus crispatus was negatively associated with pregnancy history. Potential markers for lack of menstrual regularity, heavy flow, dysmenorrhea, and contraceptives were also identified. Lactobacilli were rare during breastfeeding or post-menopause. Other features such as mood fluctuations and facial speckles could potentially be predicted from the vagino-cervical microbiome. Gut and salivary microbiomes, plasma vitamins, metals, amino acids, and hormones showed associations with the vagino-cervical microbiome. Our results offer an unprecedented glimpse into the microbiota of the female reproductive tract and call for international collaborations to better understand its long-term health impact other than in the settings of infection or pre-term birth.
摘要:
阴道含有至少10亿个微生物细胞,以乳酸杆菌为主.在这里,我们对516名中国育龄女性的子宫颈和粪便样本进行宏基因组鸟枪测序,以及子宫颈,粪便,和第二队列632名女性的唾液样本。妊娠史等因素,交货历史,剖宫产,在塑造微生物群中,母乳喂养比月经周期更重要,在试图解释阴道-宫颈微生物组数据之间的差异之前,这些信息是必要的。在首次性行为时,随着年龄的增长,短双歧杆菌的比例更高。乳杆菌特别是crispatus乳杆菌的相对丰度与妊娠史呈负相关。缺乏月经规律的潜在标志,沉重的流量,痛经,并确定了避孕药具。乳杆菌在母乳喂养或绝经后很少见。其他特征,如情绪波动和面部斑点,可以从阴道-宫颈微生物组中预测。肠道和唾液微生物组,血浆维生素,金属,氨基酸,和激素显示与阴道-宫颈微生物组相关。我们的研究结果为女性生殖道的微生物群提供了前所未有的一瞥,并呼吁国际合作更好地了解其对健康的长期影响,而不是在感染或早产的背景下。