Shotgun sequencing of the vaginal microbiome reveals both a species and functional potential signature of preterm birth.

ABSTRACT: An association between the vaginal microbiota and preterm birth (PTB) has been reported in several research studies. Population shifts from high proportions of lactobacilli to mixed species communities, as seen with bacterial vaginosis, have been linked to a twofold increased risk of PTB. Despite the increasing number of studies using next-generation sequencing technologies, primarily involving 16S rRNA-based approaches, to investigate the vaginal microbiota during pregnancy, no distinct microbial signature has been associated with PTB. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing offers a powerful tool to reveal community structures and their gene functions at a far greater resolution than amplicon sequencing. In this study, we employ shotgun metagenomic sequencing to compare the vaginal microbiota of

SUBMITTER: Feehily C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7665020 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature