Virome sequencing female reproductive tract from HIV-HPV study

The female reproductive tract (FRT) microbiome plays an important role in maintaining vaginal health. Low diversity, Lactobacillus-dominant bacterial communities (bacteriomes) help prevent urogenital diseases including bacterial vaginosis (BV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as HIV, while diverse FRT bacteriomes have been linked to increased inflammation and STI transmission. Viruses play a key role in regulating other microbial ecosystems, but little is known about how the FRT viruses (virome), particularly bacteriophages, affect FRT health and dysbiosis. An improved understanding of transkingdom interactions in the FRT is crucial to discerning and treating disease processes in this important environment. We conducted a retrospective, longitudinal analysis of vaginal swabs collected twice yearly between October 2012 and October 2014 from 54 BV-positive and 46 BV-negative, sexually active young women ages 16-21 in Cape Town, South Africa.

女性生殖道（female reproductive tract, FRT）微生物组在维持阴道健康中发挥关键作用。以乳杆菌为主导的低多样性细菌群落（细菌组，bacteriomes）可预防包括细菌性阴道病（bacterial vaginosis, BV）以及人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）相关的性传播感染（sexually transmitted infections, STIs）在内的泌尿生殖道疾病；而多样性较高的FRT细菌组则与炎症反应加剧及性传播感染传播风险升高相关。病毒在调控其他微生物生态系统中扮演核心角色，但目前学界对FRT病毒（病毒组，virome）——尤其是噬菌体（bacteriophages）——如何影响FRT健康与菌群失调的认知仍较为匮乏。加深对FRT内跨界相互作用（transkingdom interactions）的理解，对于明确并治疗这一重要生理环境中的疾病进程至关重要。本研究对2012年10月至2014年10月期间，从南非开普敦的54名BV阳性及46名BV阴性的16至21岁性活跃年轻女性中，每半年采集一次的阴道拭子开展了回顾性纵向分析。