Vaginal microbiota of American Indian women and associations with depression and anxiety

Molecular-bacterial vaginosis (BV) is characterized by low levels of vaginal Lactobacillus spp. and is associated with higher risk of sexually transmitted infections. The prevalence of molecular-BV among American Indian women is unknown. We sought to characterize the vaginal microbiota of 70 American Indian women and evaluate the association between molecular-BV, specific vaginal metabolites, and known risk factors, including trauma and depression. This was a cross-sectional study involving 70 American Indian women in the northwestern U.S. Demographics, perceived psychosocial stressors, sexual behavior practices, and known BV risk factors were assessed using a modified version of the American Indian Service Utilization, Psychiatric Epidemiology, Risk and Protective Factors Project survey. Self-collected mid-vaginal swabs were profiled for bacterial composition by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metabolites quantified by liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry.