Complex ecological interactions of Staphylococcus aureus in the vagina during menstruation

We analysed by rrs sequencing and culturomic techniques microbiota menstrual fluids extracted from tampons of 108 healthy women and 7 mTSS cases. S. aureus was detected in 40% of menstrual fluids from healthy volunteers and 7/7 of mTSS patients. Analysis by culturomic techniques and rrs sequencing methods both indicated that the composition of the vaginal microbiota differs according to the presence or absence of S. aureus. Discriminating genera were also similar using the two methods. However, the bacterial communities of vaginal fluid positive for S. aureus did not cluster together. Similar observation was observed with bacterial communities from mTSS cases. No difference of vaginal microbiome richness, diversity, and ecologic distance was observed between vaginal fluids with or without S. aureus, and vaginal fluids from S. aureus carriers of healthy donor or mTSS.