Establishment of the uterine microbiome following artificial insemination in virgin heifers

The concept of a sterile uterus was challenged by recent studies that have described the microbiome of the virgin and pregnant uterus for a variety of species including humans and cattle. We designed two studies that tested whether the microbiome is introduced into the uterus when the virgin heifer is first inseminated and whether the origin of the microbiome is the vagina/cervix.