Vaginal microbial dynamics and pathogen colonization in a humanized microbiota mouse model.

ABSTRACT: Vaginal microbial composition is associated with differential risk of urogenital infection. Although Lactobacillus spp. are thought to confer protection against infection, the lack of in vivo models resembling the human vaginal microbiota remains a prominent barrier to mechanistic discovery. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of C57BL/6J female mice, we found that vaginal microbial composition varies within and between colonies across three vivaria. Noting vaginal microbial plasticity in conventional mice, we assessed the vaginal microbiome of humanized microbiota mice (^HMbmice). Like the community structure in conventional mice, ^HMbmice vaginal microbiota clustered into community state types but, uniquely, ^HMbmice communities were frequently dominated by L

SUBMITTER: Mejia ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10661851 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature