Smoking and the Vaginal Microbiome

The focus of this study was to better understand the effects of cigarette smoking on the vaginal microbiome. There were two phases of the study, cross-sectional and longitudinal, conducted at the Center for Health Behavior Research at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. In the cross-sectional phase, 20 smokers and 20 non-smokers collected mid-vaginal swabs, measured their vaginal pH, prepared a vaginal smear on a slide for Nugent Gram stain analysis, and completed questionnaires about demographics, tobacco use, and reproductive and sexual health history. Smoking status was confirmed through self-report, carbon monoxide exhalation and saliva cotinine measures. Secretions from the mid-vaginal swabs were tested for presence/absence of HPV strains and GC-MS was used to quantify the levels of over 600 metabolites. In the longitudinal phase, 7 participants who were current smokers and motivated to quit smoking were recruited and followed for up to 12 weeks. On a daily basis, participants collected mid-vaginal swabs, measured their vaginal pH, and prepared a mid-vaginal smear on a slide for Nugent Gram stain analysis, and completed daily diaries on tobacco use and reproductive health. Carbon monoxide exhalation and saliva cotinine measures were collected at weekly clinical visits. In addition, participants had weekly behavioral counseling sessions about smoking cessation and used Nicoderm CQ patches to aid in quitting smoking. The self-collected vaginal swabs were used for DNA extractions,16s rRNA sequencing and measurement of metabolites in vaginal fluid.]]>
For the cross-sectional phase of the study, inclusion criteria included non-pregnant, non-lactating women, ages 18-45 years old, considered healthy based on medical history, with an absence of acute or chronic illnesses, including serious psychotic disorders or current depression. Participants were also excluded if they had used antibiotics or antimycotics in the prior 30 days or had a history of drug or alcohol dependence in the previous 12 months. For the longitudinal phase of the study, in addition to the inclusion criteria for the cross-sectional study, participants reported smoking at least 10 cigarettes per day, no smoking abstinence periods greater than three months in the prior year, no history of hypersensitivity to nicotine or adhesives, and motivation to quit smoking.]]>
This study was conducted between 2010-2011 at the Center for Health Behavior Research at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. For the cross-sectional phase, there was a single visit for participants, while participants in the longitudinal phase were followed for 12 weeks total.]]>