Comparative Analysis of Primate Vaginal Microbiome

The microbial structure and composition associated with the non-human primate (NHP) vaginal ecosystems has been poorly studied. We conducted analyses of the primate vaginal microbiome using pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene of a phylogenetically broad sample of primates. The nine primate species included: humans (Homo sapiens), yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus), olive baboons (Papio anubis), lemurs (Propithecus diadema), howler monkeys (Allouatta pigra), red colobus (Piliocolobus rufomitratus), vervets (Chlorocebus aethiops), mangabeys (Cercocebus atys), and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).