Characterization of the vaginal microbiome during cytolytic vaginosis using high‐throughput sequencing

摘要

Background Cytolytic vaginosis (CV) is a common disease that results in pruritus, dyspareunia, and vulvar dysuria. However, the pathological mechanisms of the disease are still unclear. Compared to traditional methods, high‐throughput sequencing can obtain more accurate qualitative and quantitative information on the microbiome. Methods We collected 75 samples from 32 healthy women (average age 44?±?8) and 43 patients with CV (average age 38?±?8). We used high‐throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA V3‐V4 region to characterize and compare the vaginal microbiota of patients with CV and healthy women and to identify potential biomarkers for CV. Results The vaginal pH of patients with CV was ≤3.8, and the vaginal concentration of Hsub2/subOsub2/sub was ≥2?μmol/L. Colony densities of Lactobacillus spp. in patients with CV ranged from +++ (5‐30) to ++++ (30) and were significantly higher than those in healthy women. High‐throughput sequencing showed that Lactobacillus was the most prominent genus both in patients with CV and in healthy women, with abundances of 83.8% and 97.2%, respectively ( P Conclusion The abundance of Lactobacillus spp. in CV patients was significantly different from that of healthy patients. Two suitable biomarkers, L .?crispatus and Lactobacillus sp. L‐YJ, were identified. These results will be useful for the identification of women at risk of serious illness before they develop obvious symptoms.