Project description:<p>The pregnancy vaginal microbiome contributes to risk of preterm birth, the primary cause of death in children under 5 years of age. Here we describe direct on-swab metabolic profiling by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (DESI-MS) for sample preparation-free characterisation of the cervicovaginal metabolome in two independent pregnancy cohorts (VMET, n = 160; 455 swabs; VMET II, n = 205; 573 swabs). By integrating metataxonomics and immune profiling data from matched samples, we show that specific metabolome signatures can be used to robustly predict simultaneously both the composition of the vaginal microbiome and host inflammatory status. In these patients, vaginal microbiota instability and innate immune activation, as predicted using DESI-MS, associated with preterm birth, including in women receiving cervical cerclage for preterm birth prevention. These findings highlight direct on-swab metabolic profiling by DESI-MS as an innovative approach for preterm birth risk stratification through rapid assessment of vaginal microbiota-host dynamics.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Linked cross omic data sets:</strong></p><p>Meta-taxonomics data associated with this study are available in the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA): accession number <a href='https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/browser/view/PRJEB11895' rel='noopener noreferrer' target='_blank'>PRJEB11895</a>, <a href='https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/browser/view/PRJEB12577' rel='noopener noreferrer' target='_blank'>PRJEB12577</a> and <a href='https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/browser/view/PRJEB41427' rel='noopener noreferrer' target='_blank'>PRJEB41427</a>.</p>
Project description:The hormonal contraceptive medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is associated with increased risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), via incompletely understood mechanisms. Increased diversity in the vaginal microbiota modulates genital inflammation and is associated with increased HIV-1 acquisition. However, the effect of MPA on diversity of the vaginal microbiota is relatively unknown. In a cohort of female Kenyan sex workers, negative for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with Nugent scores <7 (N=58 of 370 screened), MPA correlated with significantly increased diversity of the vaginal microbiota as assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. MPA was also significantly associated with decreased levels of estrogen in the plasma, and low vaginal glycogen and α-amylase, factors implicated in vaginal colonization by lactobacilli, bacteria that are believed to protect against STIs. In a humanized mouse model, MPA treatment was associated with low serum estrogen, low glycogen and enhanced HIV-1 susceptibility. The mechanism by which the MPA mediated changes in the vaginal microbiota may contribute to HIV-1 susceptibility in humans appears to be independent of inflammatory cytokines and/or activated T cells. Altogether, these results suggest MPA-induced hypo-estrogenism may alter key metabolic components that are necessary for vaginal colonization by certain bacterial species including lactobacilli, and allow for greater bacterial diversity in the vaginal microbiota.
Project description:Establishment of vaginal microbiota composition in early pregnancy and its association with subsequent preterm prelabour rupture of the fetal membranes
Project description:The study proposes the characterization of the intestinal and vaginal microbiota in long-term radiated cervical and endometrial cancer survivors to study the association with long-term radiotherapy side effects.