The integrative human microbiome project. Nature. 2019;569(7758):641–8.

Article  Google Scholar 

Sadeghpour Heravi F. Gut Microbiota and Autoimmune Diseases: Mechanisms, Treatment, Challenges, and Future Recommendations. Current Clinical Microbiology Reports. 2024:1–16.

Holm JB, France MT, Gajer P, Ma B, Brotman RM, Shardell M, et al. Integrating compositional and functional content to describe vaginal microbiomes in health and disease. Microbiome. 2023;11(1):259.

Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

• Chee WJY, Chew SY, Than LTL. Vaginal microbiota and the potential of Lactobacillus derivatives in maintaining vaginal health. Microb Cell Fact. 2020;19(1):203. (Offering insights into the development of lactobacilli derivatives as a potential complementary or alternative medicine for maintaining vaginal health and preventing complications.)

Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Verhelst R, Verstraelen H, Claeys G, Verschraegen G, Van Simaey L, De Ganck C, et al. Comparison between Gram stain and culture for the characterization of vaginal microflora: definition of a distinct grade that resembles grade I microflora and revised categorization of grade I microflora. BMC Microbiol. 2005;5:1–11.

Article  Google Scholar 

De Backer E, Verhelst R, Verstraelen H, Alqumber MA, Burton JP, Tagg JR, et al. Quantitative determination by real-time PCR of four vaginal Lactobacillus species, Gardnerella vaginalis and Atopobium vaginae indicates an inverse relationship between L. gasseri and L. iners. BMC microbiology. 2007;7:1–13.

Adapen C, Réot L, Menu E. Role of the human vaginal microbiota in the regulation of inflammation and sexually transmitted infection acquisition: Contribution of the non-human primate model to a better understanding? Front Reprod Health. 2022;4:992176.

Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

•• Chen X, Lu Y, Chen T, Li R. The female vaginal microbiome in health and bacterial vaginosis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021;11:631972. (Underscores the global impact of bacterial vaginosis (BV) on women's reproductive health, emphasizing the urgent need for improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.)

Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

•• Moosa Y, Kwon D, De Oliveira T, Wong EB. Determinants of vaginal microbiota composition. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020;10:467. (Evaluation the influence of a woman's vaginal microbiota on sexual and reproductive health, addressing gaps in understanding the determinants of its composition and advocating for comprehensive research.)

Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

•• Ravel J, Gajer P, Abdo Z, Schneider GM, Koenig SS, McCulle SL, et al. Vaginal microbiome of reproductive-age women. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2011;108(supplement_1):4680–7. Evaluating the vaginal microbiomes of 396 asymptomatic women from diverse ethnic groups reveals distinct community clusters dominated by different Lactobacillus species.

Gajer P, Brotman RM, Bai G, Sakamoto J, Schütte UM, Zhong X, et al. Temporal dynamics of the human vaginal microbiota. Science translational medicine. 2012;4(132):132ra52-ra52.

Drell T, Lillsaar T, Tummeleht L, Simm J, Aaspõllu A, Väin E, et al. Characterization of the vaginal micro-and mycobiome in asymptomatic reproductive-age Estonian women. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(1):e54379.

Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

• Happel A-U, Balle C, Maust BS, Konstantinus IN, Gill K, Bekker L-G, et al. Presence and persistence of putative lytic and temperate bacteriophages in vaginal metagenomes from South African adolescents. Viruses. 2021;13(12):2341. (Evaluating cervicovaginal microbiota in South African adolescents reveals diverse and persistent bacteriophages, suggesting potential interactions with vaginal bacteria.)

Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

• Madere FS, Sohn M, Winbush AK, Barr B, Grier A, Palumbo C, et al. Transkingdom analysis of the female reproductive tract reveals bacteriophages form communities. Viruses. 2022;14(2):430. (Investigating the impact of the female reproductive tract (FRT) virome on vaginal health showed distinct bacteriophage signatures associated with bacterial vaginosis.)

Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Belay N, Mukhopadhyay B, Conway de Macario E, Galask R, Daniels L. Methanogenic bacteria in human vaginal samples. Journal of clinical microbiology. 1990;28(7):1666–8.

Grine G, Drouet H, Fenollar F, Bretelle F, Raoult D, Drancourt M. Detection of Methanobrevibacter smithii in vaginal samples collected from women diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2019;38:1643–9.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

• Santos FP, Carvalhos CA, Figueiredo-Dias M. New Insights into Photobiomodulation of the Vaginal Microbiome—A Critical Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(17):13507. (Exploring the potential of Photobiomodulation (PBM), utilizing low-level light, to modulate the vaginal microbiome (VMB) offering insights into potential therapeutic applications.)

Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

•• Lee CY, Dillard LR, Papin JA, Arnold KB. New perspectives into the vaginal microbiome with systems biology. Trends Microbiol. 2023;31(4):356–68. (Underscoring the complexity of optimal and non-optimal states, emphasizing the need for mechanistic models.)

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Bidlingmaier F, Wagner-Barnack M, Butenandt O, Knorr D. Plasma estrogens in childhood and puberty under physiologic and pathologic conditions. Pediatr Res. 1973;7(11):901–7.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Mårild S, Jodal U. Incidence rate of first-time symptomatic urinary tract infection in children under 6 years of age. Acta Paediatr. 1998;87(5):549–52.

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Brotman RM, Shardell M, Gajer P, Fadrosh D, Chang K, Silver M, et al. Association between the vaginal microbiota, menopause status and signs of vulvovaginal atrophy. Menopause-The Journal of the North American Menopause Society: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 530 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106–3621 USA; 2013. p. 1318-.

Gliniewicz K, Schneider GM, Ridenhour BJ, Williams CJ, Song Y, Farage MA, et al. Comparison of the vaginal microbiomes of premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Front Microbiol. 2019;10:193.

Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

•• Łaniewski P, Herbst-Kralovetz MM. Connecting microbiome and menopause for healthy ageing. Nat Microbiol. 2022;7(3):354–8. (Understanding the interplay between the microbiome and menopause holds promise for new interventions to alleviate menopausal symptoms and improve quality of life for women.)

Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

• Xiaoming W, Jing L, Yuchen P, Huili L, Miao Z, Jing S. Characteristics of the vaginal microbiomes in prepubertal girls with and without vulvovaginitis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2021;40:1253–61. (Investigating vaginal microbiomes in prepubertal girls with and without vulvovaginitis, revealing a dominance of Prevotella, Porphyromonas, Ezakiella, and Peptoniphilus in control and Streptococcus, Prevotella, Haemophilus, and Granulicatella in cases.)

Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Hickey RJ, Zhou X, Settles ML, Erb J, Malone K, Hansmann MA, et al. Vaginal microbiota of adolescent girls prior to the onset of menarche resemble those of reproductive-age women. MBio. 2015;6(2):https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio. 00097–15.

Srinivasan S, Liu C, Mitchell CM, Fiedler TL, Thomas KK, Agnew KJ, et al. Temporal variability of human vaginal bacteria and relationship with bacterial vaginosis. PLoS ONE. 2010;5(4):e10197.

Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

DiGiulio DB, Callahan BJ, McMurdie PJ, Costello EK, Lyell DJ, Robaczewska A, et al. Temporal and spatial variation of the human microbiota during pregnancy. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2015;112(35):11060–5.

Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Zhou X, Bent SJ, Schneider MG, Davis CC, Islam MR, Forney LJ. Characterization of vaginal microbial communities in adult healthy women using cultivation-independent methods. Microbiology. 2004;150(8):2565–73.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

MacIntyre D, Chandiramani M, Lee Y, Kindinger L, Smith A, Angelopoulos N, et al. The vaginal microbiome during pregnancy and the postpartum period in a European population. Sci Rep. 2015;5:8988.

Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Dominguez-Bello MG, Costello EK, Contreras M, Magris M, Hidalgo G, Fierer N, Knight R. Delivery mode shapes the acquisition and structure of the initial microbiota across multiple body habitats in newborns. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2010;107(26):11971–5.

Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

• Park MG, Cho S, Oh MM. Menopausal Changes in the Microbiome—A Review Focused on the Genitourinary Microbiome. Diagnostics. 2023;13(6):1193. (Providing insights into potential links to genitourinary syndrome and urinary tract diseases in women.)

Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Brotman RM, Shardell MD, Gajer P, Fadrosh D, Chang K, Silver MI, et al. Association between the vaginal microbiota, menopause status, and signs of vulvovaginal atrophy. Menopause. 2014;21(5):450–8.

Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Hummelen R, Macklaim JM, Bisanz JE, Hammond J-A, McMillan A, Vongsa R, et al. Vaginal microbiome and epithelial gene array in post-menopausal women with moderate to severe dryness. PLoS ONE. 2011;6(11):e26602.

Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Witkin SS, Linhares IM. Why do lactobacilli dominate the human vaginal microbiota? BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 2017;124(4):606–11.

Smith SB, Ravel J. The vaginal microbiota, host defence and reproductive physiology. J Physiol. 2017;595(2):451–63.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Carmo MSd, Noronha FM, Arruda MO, Costa EPDS, Bomfim MR, Monteiro AS, et al. Lactobacillus fermentum ATCC 23271 displays in vitro inhibitory activities against Candida spp. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2016;7:1722.

Stoyancheva G, Marzotto M, Dellaglio F, Torriani S. Bacteriocin production and gene sequencing analysis from vaginal Lactobacillus strains. Arch Microbiol. 2014;196:645–53.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Madanchi H, Shoushtari M, Kashani H, Sardari S. Antimicrobial peptides of the vaginal innate immunity and their role in the fight against sexually transmitted diseases. New Microbes and New Infections. 2020;34:100627.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Sgibnev AV, Kremleva EA. Vaginal protection by H2O2-producing lactobacilli. Jundishapur journal of microbiology. 2015;8(10).

Tachedjian G, O’Hanlon DE, Ravel J. The implausible “in vivo” role of hydrogen peroxide as an antimicrobial factor produced by vaginal microbiota. Microbiome. 2018;6(1):1–5.

Article  Google Scholar 

Manichanh C, Rigottier-Gois L, Bonnaud E, Gloux K, Pelletier E, Frangeul L, et al. Reduced diversity of faecal microbiota in Crohn’s disease revealed by a metagenomic approach. Gut. 2006;55(2):205–11.

Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Fredricks DN, Fiedler TL, Marrazzo JM. Molecular identification of bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(18):1899–911.

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar