Microbial Composition Predicts Genital Tract Inflammation and Persistent Bacterial Vaginosis in South African Adolescent Females.

ABSTRACT: Young African females are at an increased risk of HIV acquisition, and genital inflammation or the vaginal microbiome may contribute to this risk. We studied these factors in 168 HIV-negative South African adolescent females aged 16 to 22 years. Unsupervised clustering of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed three clusters (subtypes), one of which was strongly associated with genital inflammation. In a multivariate model, the microbiome compositional subtype and hormonal contraception were significantly associated with genital inflammation. We identified 40 taxa significantly associated with inflammation, including those reported previously (Prevotella, Sneathia, Aerococcus, Fusobacterium, and Gemella) as well as several novel taxa (including increased freque

SUBMITTER: Lennard K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5736802 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature