Association between trichomonas vaginalis and vaginal bacterial community composition among reproductive-age women

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Rebecca M. Brotman, University of Maryland School of Medicine; L. Latey Bradford, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Melissa Conrad, New York University; Pawel Gajer, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Kevin Ault, Emory University; Ligia Peralta, University of Maryl and School of Medicine; Larry J. Forney, University of Idaho; Jane M. Carlton, New York University; Zaid Abdo, University of Idaho; Jacques Ravel, University of Maryland School of Medicine
• Language: English
• Date: 2012-10-01
• Publisher: Wolterss Kluwer
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2012 American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association All rights reserved.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0b013e3182631c79
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Volume: 39
• Issue: 10
• Start Page: 807
• End Page: 812
• Grant/Funding Information: This study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants U01-AI070921 (Ravel), K01-AI080974 (Brotman), UH2-AI083264 (Ravel and Forney) and R21AI083954 (Carlton). The study was also supported in part by NIH grants UL1-RR025008, KL2-RR025009 and TL1-RR025010 (Ault).
• Keywords: Lactobacillus; Asian Americans; Species Specificity; European Continental Ancestry Group; Trichomonas vaginalis; Hispanic Americans; Cluster Analysis; United States; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Middle Aged; African Americans; Adolescent; Adult; Metagenome; Female; Trichomonas Vaginitis; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Young Adult; Humans; Vagina
• Research Categories: Biology, Genetics; Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Some vaginal bacterial communities are thought to prevent infection by sexually transmitted organisms. Prior work demonstrated that the vaginal microbiota of reproductive-age women cluster into 5 types of bacterial communities; 4 dominated by Lactobacillus species (L. iners, L. crispatus, L. gasseri, L. jensenii) and 1 (termed community state type (CST) IV) lacking significant numbers of lactobacilli and characterized by higher proportions of Atopobium, Prevotella, Parvimonas, Sneathia, Gardnerella, Mobiluncus, and other taxa. We sought to evaluate the relationship between vaginal bacterial composition and Trichomonas vaginalis. METHODS: Self-collected vaginal swabs were obtained cross-sectionally from 394 women equally representing 4 ethnic/racial groups. T. vaginalis screening was performed using PCR targeting the 18S rRNA and β-tubulin genes. Vaginal bacterial composition was characterized by pyrosequencing of barcoded 16S rRNA genes. A panel of 11 microsatellite markers was used to genotype T. vaginalis. The association between vaginal microbiota and T. vaginalis was evaluated by exact logistic regression. RESULTS: T. vaginalis was detected in 2.8% of participants (11/394). Of the 11 T. vaginalis-positive cases, 8 (72%) were categorized as CST-IV, 2 (18%) as communities dominated by L. iners, and 1 (9%) as L. crispatus-dominated (P = 0.05). CST-IV microbiota were associated with an 8-fold increased odds of detecting T. vaginalis compared with women in the L. crispatus-dominated state (OR: 8.26, 95% CI: 1.07-372.65). Seven of the 11 T. vaginalis isolates were assigned to 2 genotypes. CONCLUSION: T. vaginalis was associated with vaginal microbiota consisting of low proportions of lactobacilli and high proportions of Mycoplasma, Parvimonas, Sneathia, and other anaerobes.