Characterization of the Community State Types (CST) of the cervico-vaginal microbiota in women infected with C. trachomatis

The cervico-vaginal microbiota in healthy women, mostly populated by Lactobacillus spp., is widely considered as an important line of defence against different urogenital pathogens. In fact, the dysbiosis of the genital microbiota, characterized by a reduced number of Lactobacillus spp. and an increased number of facultative and/or strict anaerobes, is known to increase the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases, including Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection. C. trachomatis is the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and, in asymptomatic women, tend to persist into the host, leading to a chronic inflammatory state that is responsible for the inflammatory damage leading to the development of severe sequelae, like PID, infertility and ectopic pregnancy.In a previous pilot study, we showed that women with C. trachomatis asymptomatic genital infection possessed a heterogeneous microbiota with increased species richness and diversity, dominated by facultative and/or strict anaerobes. Consequently, in the present study, we sought to define the different community state types associated with C. trachomatis genital infection, so to investigate their complex interaction in the female genital ecosystem.