Presence and Persistence of Putative Lytic and Temperate Bacteriophages in Vaginal Metagenomes from South African Adolescents.

ABSTRACT: The interaction between gut bacterial and viral microbiota is thought to be important in human health. While fluctuations in female genital tract (FGT) bacterial microbiota similarly determine sexual health, little is known about the presence, persistence, and function of vaginal bacteriophages. We conducted shotgun metagenome sequencing of cervicovaginal samples from South African adolescents collected longitudinally, who received no antibiotics. We annotated viral reads and circular bacteriophages, identified CRISPR loci and putative prophages, and assessed their diversity, persistence, and associations with bacterial microbiota composition. Siphoviridae was the most prevalent bacteriophage family, followed by Myoviridae, Podoviridae, Herelleviridae, and In

SUBMITTER: Happel AU 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8708031 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature