Children's Hospital of New Orleans, 200 Henry Clay Ave., New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA.
Department of Pediatrics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1901 Perdido St., New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
Microbiome. 2016 Apr 19;4:16. doi: 10.1186/s40168-016-0161-6.
The epidemiology of bacterial vaginosis (BV) suggests it is sexually transmissible, yet no transmissible agent has been identified. It is probable that BV-associated bacterial communities are transferred from male to female partners during intercourse; however, the microbiota of sexual partners has not been well-studied.
Pyrosequencing analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rDNA was used to examine BV-associated bacteria in monogamous couples with and without BV using vaginal, male urethral, and penile skin specimens. The penile skin and urethral microbiota of male partners of women with BV was significantly more similar to the vaginal microbiota of their female partner compared to the vaginal microbiota of non-partner women with BV. This was not the case for male partners of women with normal vaginal microbiota. Specific BV-associated species were concordant in women with BV and their male partners.
In monogamous heterosexual couples in which the woman has BV, the significantly higher similarity between the vaginal microbiota and the penile skin and urethral microbiota of the male partner, supports the hypothesis that sexual exchange of BV-associated bacterial taxa is common.
细菌性阴道病（BV）的流行病学表明其具有性传播性，但尚未确定可传播的病原体。在性交过程中，BV 相关的细菌群落可能从男性伴侣转移到女性伴侣；然而，性伴侣的微生物群尚未得到充分研究。
使用阴道、男性尿道和阴茎皮肤标本，对患有和不患有 BV 的一夫一妻制夫妇进行聚合酶链反应（PCR）扩增 16S rDNA 的焦磷酸测序分析，以检查与 BV 相关的细菌。患有 BV 的女性的男性伴侣的阴茎皮肤和尿道微生物群与患有 BV 的非伴侣女性的阴道微生物群相比，与她们女性伴侣的阴道微生物群更为相似。而对于阴道微生物群正常的女性的男性伴侣则并非如此。患有 BV 的女性及其男性伴侣中存在特定的与 BV 相关的物种具有一致性。
在女性患有 BV 的一夫一妻制异性恋夫妇中，男性伴侣的阴道微生物群与阴茎皮肤和尿道微生物群之间的高度相似性，支持了 BV 相关细菌类群的性交换很常见的假说。
