Vaginal Microbiota of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Caused by <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> in Women with Vaginitis in Taiwan
The three most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> (CT), <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> (GC) and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> (TV). The prevalence of these STIs in Taiwan remains largely unknown and the risk of STI acquisit...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/9/1864 |
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| author | Shu-Fang Chiu Po-Jung Huang Wei-Hung Cheng Ching-Yun Huang Lichieh Julie Chu Chi-Ching Lee Hsin-Chung Lin Lih-Chyang Chen Wei-Ning Lin Chang-Huei Tsao Petrus Tang Yuan-Ming Yeh Kuo-Yang Huang |
| author_facet | Shu-Fang Chiu Po-Jung Huang Wei-Hung Cheng Ching-Yun Huang Lichieh Julie Chu Chi-Ching Lee Hsin-Chung Lin Lih-Chyang Chen Wei-Ning Lin Chang-Huei Tsao Petrus Tang Yuan-Ming Yeh Kuo-Yang Huang |
| author_sort | Shu-Fang Chiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The three most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> (CT), <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> (GC) and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> (TV). The prevalence of these STIs in Taiwan remains largely unknown and the risk of STI acquisition affected by the vaginal microbiota is also elusive. In this study, a total of 327 vaginal swabs collected from women with vaginitis were analyzed to determine the presence of STIs and the associated microorganisms by using the BD Max CT/GC/TV molecular assay, microbial cultures, and 16S rRNA sequencing. The prevalence of CT, TV, and GC was 10.8%, 2.2% and 0.6%, respectively. A culture-dependent method identified that <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Streptococcus agalactiae</i> (GBS) were more likely to be associated with CT and TV infections. In CT-positive patients, the vaginal microbiota was dominated by <i>L. iners</i>, and the relative abundance of <i>Gardnerella vaginalis</i> (12.46%) was also higher than that in TV-positive patients and the non-STIs group. However, <i>Lactobacillus</i> spp. was significantly lower in TV-positive patients, while GBS (10.11%), <i>Prevotella bivia</i> (6.19%), <i>Sneathia sanguinegens</i> (12.75%), and <i>Gemella asaccharolytica</i> (5.31%) were significantly enriched. Using an in vitro co-culture assay, we demonstrated that the growth of <i>L. iners</i> was suppressed in the initial interaction with TV, but it may adapt and survive after longer exposure to TV. Additionally, it is noteworthy that TV was able to promote GBS growth. Our study highlights the vaginal microbiota composition associated with the common STIs and the crosstalk between TV and the associated bacteria, paving the way for future development of health interventions targeting the specific vaginal bacterial taxa to reduce the risk of common STIs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:25:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-019bc5491873487492a8283ec6a59957 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:25:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-019bc5491873487492a8283ec6a599572023-11-22T14:18:15ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072021-09-0199186410.3390/microorganisms9091864Vaginal Microbiota of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Caused by <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> in Women with Vaginitis in TaiwanShu-Fang Chiu0Po-Jung Huang1Wei-Hung Cheng2Ching-Yun Huang3Lichieh Julie Chu4Chi-Ching Lee5Hsin-Chung Lin6Lih-Chyang Chen7Wei-Ning Lin8Chang-Huei Tsao9Petrus Tang10Yuan-Ming Yeh11Kuo-Yang Huang12Graduate Institute of Pathology and Parasitology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, TaiwanDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, TaiwanDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 824, TaiwanGraduate Institute of Pathology and Parasitology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, TaiwanMolecular Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, TaiwanGenomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan 333, TaiwanGraduate Institute of Pathology and Parasitology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, TaiwanDepartment of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei 252, TaiwanGraduate Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei 242, TaiwanDepartment of Medical Research, National Defense Medical Center, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei 114, TaiwanMolecular Regulation and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, TaiwanGenomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan 333, TaiwanGraduate Institute of Pathology and Parasitology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, TaiwanThe three most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> (CT), <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> (GC) and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> (TV). The prevalence of these STIs in Taiwan remains largely unknown and the risk of STI acquisition affected by the vaginal microbiota is also elusive. In this study, a total of 327 vaginal swabs collected from women with vaginitis were analyzed to determine the presence of STIs and the associated microorganisms by using the BD Max CT/GC/TV molecular assay, microbial cultures, and 16S rRNA sequencing. The prevalence of CT, TV, and GC was 10.8%, 2.2% and 0.6%, respectively. A culture-dependent method identified that <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Streptococcus agalactiae</i> (GBS) were more likely to be associated with CT and TV infections. In CT-positive patients, the vaginal microbiota was dominated by <i>L. iners</i>, and the relative abundance of <i>Gardnerella vaginalis</i> (12.46%) was also higher than that in TV-positive patients and the non-STIs group. However, <i>Lactobacillus</i> spp. was significantly lower in TV-positive patients, while GBS (10.11%), <i>Prevotella bivia</i> (6.19%), <i>Sneathia sanguinegens</i> (12.75%), and <i>Gemella asaccharolytica</i> (5.31%) were significantly enriched. Using an in vitro co-culture assay, we demonstrated that the growth of <i>L. iners</i> was suppressed in the initial interaction with TV, but it may adapt and survive after longer exposure to TV. Additionally, it is noteworthy that TV was able to promote GBS growth. Our study highlights the vaginal microbiota composition associated with the common STIs and the crosstalk between TV and the associated bacteria, paving the way for future development of health interventions targeting the specific vaginal bacterial taxa to reduce the risk of common STIs.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/9/1864<i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i><i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i><i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i>sexually transmitted infectionsvaginal microbiome |
| spellingShingle | Shu-Fang Chiu Po-Jung Huang Wei-Hung Cheng Ching-Yun Huang Lichieh Julie Chu Chi-Ching Lee Hsin-Chung Lin Lih-Chyang Chen Wei-Ning Lin Chang-Huei Tsao Petrus Tang Yuan-Ming Yeh Kuo-Yang Huang Vaginal Microbiota of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Caused by <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> in Women with Vaginitis in Taiwan Microorganisms <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> sexually transmitted infections vaginal microbiome |
| title | Vaginal Microbiota of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Caused by <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> in Women with Vaginitis in Taiwan |
| title_full | Vaginal Microbiota of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Caused by <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> in Women with Vaginitis in Taiwan |
| title_fullStr | Vaginal Microbiota of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Caused by <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> in Women with Vaginitis in Taiwan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vaginal Microbiota of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Caused by <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> in Women with Vaginitis in Taiwan |
| title_short | Vaginal Microbiota of the Sexually Transmitted Infections Caused by <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> and <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> in Women with Vaginitis in Taiwan |
| title_sort | vaginal microbiota of the sexually transmitted infections caused by i chlamydia trachomatis i and i trichomonas vaginalis i in women with vaginitis in taiwan |
| topic | <i>Chlamydia trachomatis</i> <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> <i>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</i> sexually transmitted infections vaginal microbiome |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/9/1864 |
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