Comparison of Lower Genital Tract Microbiota in HIV-Infected and Uninfected Women from Rwanda and the US
Year: 2014
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have shown that alterations of the bacterial microbiota in the lower female genital tract influence susceptibility to HIV infection and shedding. We assessed geographic differences in types of genital microbiota between HIV-infected and uninfected women from Rwanda and the United States. METHODS: Genera of lower genital tract bacterial microbiota were identified by high-throughput pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene from 46 US women (36 HIV-infected, 10 HIV-uninfected) and 40 Rwandan women (18 HIV-infected, 22 HIV-uninfected) with similar proportions of low (0-3) Nugent scores. Species of Lactobacillus were identified by assembling sequences along with reference sequences into phylogenetic trees. Prevalence of genera and Lactobacillus species were compared using Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS: Overall the seven most prevalent genera were Lactobacillus (74%), Prevotella (56%), Gardnerella (55%), Atopobium (42%), Sneathia (37%), Megasphaera (30%), and Parvimonas (26%), observed at similar prevalences comparing Rwandan to US women, except for Megasphaera (20% vs. 39%, p = 0.06). Additionally, Rwandan women had higher frequencies of Mycoplasma (23% vs. 7%, p = 0.06) and Eggerthella (13% vs. 0%, p = 0.02), and lower frequencies of Lachnobacterium (8% vs. 35%, p<0.01) and Allisonella (5% vs. 30%, p<0.01), compared with US women. The prevalence of Mycoplasma was highest (p<0.05) in HIV-infected Rwandan women (39%), compared to HIV-infected US women (6%), HIV-uninfected Rwandan (9%) and US (10%) women. The most prevalent lactobacillus species in both Rwandan and US women was L. iners (58% vs. 76%, p = 0.11), followed by L. crispatus (28% vs. 30%, p = 0.82), L. jensenii (20% vs. 24%, p = 0.80), L. gasseri (20% vs. 11%, p = 0.37) and L. vaginalis (20% vs. 7%, p = 0.10). DISCUSSION: We found similar prevalence of most major bacterial genera and Lactobacillus species in Rwandan and US women. Further work will be needed to establish whether observed differences differentially impact lower genital tract health or susceptibility to genital infections.
Source: PLoS ONE
Language: English
Subfield: Microbiology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,382
Funders: Chicago Developmental Center for AIDS Research, Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance, National Institutes of Health, Center for AIDS Research, University of Washington, District of Columbia Developmental Center for AIDS Research, University of California, San Francisco, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Center for Research Resources, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: G1025189317, G1047576501, G1089263533, G1252706584, G1290148215, G1360453192, G1377681116, G1383752764, G1423343497, G1440661678, G1653728403, G1689765846, G1919789535, G2037985070, G2210861095, G2303415721, G234908501, G243931273, G2474913319, G2567544100, G2574405597, G2674972404, G2692709432, G27852282, G2889922178, G3009646583, G3079921036, G316338625, G3196904507, G3212103026, G3222910550, G3264576717, G3414024915, G3481933404, G3634354056, G3658850503, G3901006228, G3969199529, G398667773, Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), G4097647764, G4157340353, G4210511483, G4272534050, G4419450409, G4538066223, G4547062945, G4622231416, G4664570284, G4804712267, G483408255, G4897434353, G498379488, G499585988, Chicago WIHS Consortium V (CWC), G508464731, G5182092287, G5282551706, G5494060383, G5514441876, G5909718580, G592158972, G601675503, G6295786800, G669420692, G6694807131, G6990385686, G7195401492, G742462658, G743309412, G769023845, G773494495, G775892330, G7777414286, G8121648955, G81270715, G826976987, G8350406629, G8355300055, G854257730, G893076474, G8962527242, G8964979204, G9000002915, G9000034972, G9000039899, G9000073987, G9000080293, G9000121821, G9000166853, G9000180334, G9000200690, G9000207004, G9000237332, G9000262895, G9000338758, G90347297, G920507375, G925273713, G976727283, G986692823
OpenAlex ID: W2084111983