Cervicovaginal microbiotas and HPV biomarkers

Black South African women have a high burden of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and human papillomavirus (HPV), including high-risk HPV that cause cervical cancer. Even though it is emerging that BV and Lactobacillus-deficient cervicovaginal microbiotas (CVMs) are associated with higher HPV prevalence, there are no published studies that have examined the association between the CVMs and HPV infection in South African women. Evidence from large cohort studies demonstrates that ethnicity/race influences CVMs. The majority of the CVM studies have been performed on Western populations and those of European ancestry. A few studies have shown that many African women have CVMs that are deficient in Lactobacillus species and characterized by diverse and heterogeneous populations of mainly BV-associated bacteria. This diversity remains largely unexplored and unexplained especially among Black South African women. Cervicovaginal metagenome composition and function may have a profound effect on the cervicovaginal milieu, such as maintaining the vaginal epithelial integrity. This information is very limited in South Africa. In this research project, the CVMs of 91 reproductive-age South African women with and without HPV infections were characterized and associated with demographic, sociobehavioural, and clinical factors. The metagenome functions of the CVMs were also predicted.