1Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Reprod Sci. 2014 Jan;21(1):32-40. doi: 10.1177/1933719113488838. Epub 2013 May 28.
Reproductive tract infection is a major initiator of preterm birth (PTB). The objective of this prospective cohort study of 88 participants was to determine whether PTB correlates with the vaginal microbiome during pregnancy. Total DNA was purified from posterior vaginal fornix swabs during gestation. The 16S ribosomal RNA gene was amplified using polymerase chain reaction primers, followed by chain-termination sequencing. Bacteria were identified by comparing contig consensus sequences with the Ribosomal Database Project. Dichotomous responses were summarized via proportions and continuous variables via means ± standard deviation. Mean Shannon Diversity index differed by Welch t test (P = .00016) between caucasians with PTB and term gestation. Species diversity was greatest among African Americans (P = .0045). Change in microbiome/Lactobacillus content and presence of putative novel/noxious bacteria did not correlate with PTB. We conclude that uncultured vaginal bacteria play an important role in PTB and race/ethnicity and sampling location are important determinants of the vaginal microbiome.
生殖道感染是早产 (PTB) 的主要诱因。这项对 88 名参与者的前瞻性队列研究的目的是确定 PTB 是否与怀孕期间的阴道微生物群有关。在妊娠期间，从后阴道穹窿拭子中纯化总 DNA。使用聚合酶链反应引物扩增 16S 核糖体 RNA 基因，然后进行链终止测序。通过将连续序列与核糖体数据库项目进行比较来鉴定细菌。通过比例总结二分响应，通过平均值 ± 标准偏差总结连续变量。通过 Welch t 检验（P =.00016）发现，PTB 白种人和足月妊娠之间的平均 Shannon 多样性指数存在差异。非洲裔美国人的物种多样性最大（P =.0045）。微生物组/乳酸菌含量的变化和潜在的新型/有害细菌的存在与 PTB 无关。我们的结论是，未培养的阴道细菌在 PTB 中发挥重要作用，种族/民族和采样位置是阴道微生物组的重要决定因素。
