Open AccessVaginal Dysbiosis from an Evolutionary Perspective
Author(s) -
Natalia SchlabritzLoutsevitch,
Scott E. Gygax,
Edward J. Dick,
William L. Smith,
C. L. Snider,
Gene B. Hubbard,
Gary Ventolini
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/srep26817
Subject(s) - gardnerella vaginalis , lactobacillus crispatus , dysbiosis , biology , vagina , lactobacillus , microbiome , physiology , microbiology and biotechnology , bacterial vaginosis , bioinformatics , genetics , bacteria
Evolutionary approaches are powerful tools for understanding human disorders. The composition of vaginal microbiome is important for reproductive success and has not yet been characterized in the contexts of social structure and vaginal pathology in non-human primates (NHPs). We investigated vaginal size, vulvovaginal pathology and the presence of the main human subtypes of Lactobacillus spp./ BV-related species in the vaginal microflora of baboons ( Papio spp .). We performed morphometric measurements of external and internal genitalia (group I, n = 47), analyzed pathology records of animals from 1999–2015 (group II, n = 64 from a total of 12,776), and evaluated vaginal swabs using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (group III, n = 14). A total of 68 lesions were identified in 64 baboons. Lactobacillus iners, Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae, Megasphaera I , and Megasphaera II were not detected. L. jensenii, L. crispatus , and L. gasseri were detected in 2/14 (14.2%), 1/14 (7.1%), and 1/14 (7.1%) samples, respectively. BVAB2 was detected in 5/14 (35.7%) samples. The differences in the vaginal milieu between NHP and humans might be the factor associated with human-specific pattern of placental development and should be taken in consideration in NHP models of human pharmacology and microbiology.