Novel high-resolution targeted sequencing of the cervicovaginal microbiome. CiRNAseq

The cervicovaginal microbiome (CVM) plays a significant role in women’s cervical health and disease. Microbial alterations at the species level and characteristic community state types (CST) have been associated with acquisition and persistence of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infections that may result in progression of cervical lesions to malignancy. Current sequencing methods, especially most commonly used multiplex 16S rRNA gene sequencing, are incapable of fully clarifying these changes because they generally cannot achieve high-resolution microbiome profiling. To overcome this limitation, we designed a novel sequencing tool targeting microbes at the species taxonomic rank and examined its potential for profiling the CVM.