Project description:The aim of the study was to investigate gene expression profiles of post-menopausal women receiving Premarin estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), compared to controls and to examine any correlations between the bacterial vaginosis (BV) status of the stubjects. This is the first study to use gene arrays to correlate changes in host expression to ERT and BV.
Project description:Bacterial vaginosis (BV) treatment failures or recurrences are common. To identify features associated with treatment response, we compared vaginal microbiota and host ectocervical transcriptome before and after oral metronidazole therapy. Response to metronidazole is characterized by significant changes in chemokines and related transcripts suggesting that strategies to promote these pathways may prove beneficial.
Project description:Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a common syndrome characterized by Lactobacillus-deficient vaginal microbiota, is associated with adverse health outcomes. BV often recurs after standard antibiotic therapy in part because antibiotics promote microbiota dominance by Lactobacillus iners instead of Lactobacillus crispatus, which has more beneficial health associations. Strategies to promote L. crispatus and inhibit L. iners are thus needed. We show that oleic acid (OA) and similar long-chain fatty acids simultaneously inhibit L. iners and enhance L. crispatus growth. These phenotypes require OA-inducible genes conserved in L. crispatus and related lactobacilli, including an oleate hydratase (ohyA) and putative fatty acid efflux pump (farE). FarE mediates OA resistance, while OhyA is robustly active in the vaginal microbiota and enhances bacterial fitness by biochemically sequestering OA in a derivative form only ohyA-harboring organisms can exploit. OA promotes L. crispatus dominance more effectively than antibiotics in an in vitro BV model, suggesting a metabolite-based treatment approach.
Project description:<p>Archived self-collected vaginal swabs were utilized from a pilot study of vaginal douching cessation (NIH/NIAID R03-AI061131). Thirty-nine non-pregnant, reproductive-age women who reported the use of vaginal douche products in the two months prior to screening were enrolled. Thirty-three of these successfully completed the 16-week longitudinal study. Participants self-collected vaginal swabs and smears twice weekly. We report sequences based on the analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences amplified from whole genomic DNA isolated from the swabs. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is defined by Gram's stain of vaginal fluid (Nugent's score ≥7).</p> <p>The large body of information generated will facilitate understanding of vaginal microbial community dynamics, the etiology of BV, and drive the development of better diagnostic tools for BV. Furthermore, it is hoped that the information will enable a more personalized treatment of BV and ultimately, prevent adverse sequelae associated with BV.</p>
Project description:Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common cause of vaginal discharge among women worldwide. BV is characterized by an imbalance in the vaginal microbiota with depletion of protective Lactobacillus species and overgrowth of facultative and strictly anaerobic bacteria. Although the development of a polymicrobial biofilm on the vaginal epithelium is a hallmark of BV, interactions between key BV-associated bacteria (BVAB) [i.e. Gardnerella vaginalis, Fannyhessea vaginae, and Prevotella bivia] present in the biofilm are still not completely understood. In this study, we aimed to analyse the transcriptome of single and triple-species biofilms growing in the rich medium, New York City III (NYCIII). A previous analysis of triple-species biofilms composition by qPCR showed that the biofilms were mainly composed of G. vaginalis, followed by F. vaginae and P. bivia. The transcriptomic analysis revealed a total of 431 (34 upregulated and 397 downregulated), 126 (36 upregulated and 90 downregulated), and 39 (31 upregulated and 8 downregulated) differentially expressed genes for G. vaginalis, F. vaginae, and P. bivia, respectively. Gene ontology only detected enrichment for the downregulated genes of G. vaginalis and 47 GO terms were associated with molecular functions, cellular components and biological processes, mainly metabolism. Hence, this work showed the adaptation of 3 BVAB when growing in a triple-species biofilm, with several genes being differentially expressed in all the species growing in a polymicrobial biofilm.
