Changes in the vaginal microbiota in women across a gradient of urbanization

The vaginal microbiota of healthy women typically has low diversity, which increases after perturbations. As with the microbiota of the gut, lifestyle associated practices may also perturb the vaginal microbiota. To test this hypothesis, we characterized the vaginal microbiota in the cervix (N=68) and introitus (N=77) of Amerindian women with different degrees of urbanization (remote Amazonian rainforest village, traditional village of intermediate exposure and urban town), and in urban mestizos (N=27, cervix; N=24, introitus). Cervicovaginal 16S rRNA gene sequences were characterized and compared by HPV status and degree of urbanization. Urbanization was associated with a tendential increase in the vaginal microbiota diversity, and led to convergence of the vaginal microbiota structure in Amerindian and mestizo women.