Journal
ANNUAL REVIEW OF MICROBIOLOGY, VOL 66
Volume 66, Issue -, Pages 371-389Publisher
ANNUAL REVIEWS
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-092611-150157
Keywords
vaginal microbiota; vaginal ecosystem; bacterial vaginosis
Categories
Funding
- NIAID NIH HHS [UO1 AI070921, UH2 AI083264, U19 AI084044, U01 AI070921] Funding Source: Medline
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES [UH2AI083264, U01AI070921, U19AI084044] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Vaginal microbiota form a mutually beneficial relationship with their host and have a major impact on health and disease. In recent years our understanding of vaginal bacterial community composition and structure has significantly broadened as a result of investigators using cultivation-independent methods based on the analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences. In asymptomatic, otherwise healthy women, several kinds of vaginal microbiota exist, the majority often dominated by species of Lactobacillus, while others are composed of a diverse array of anaerobic microorganisms. Bacterial vaginosis is the most common vaginal condition and is vaguely characterized as the disruption of the equilibrium of the normal vaginal microbiota. A better understanding of normal and healthy vaginal ecosystems that is based on their true function and not simply on their composition would help better define health and further improve disease diagnostics as well as the development of more personalized regimens to promote health and treat diseases.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available