Zhuye Jie: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Human Commensal Microorganisms and Health Research, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-2100, Denmark.
Chen Chen: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Human Commensal Microorganisms and Health Research, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-2100, Denmark. Electronic address: chenchen1@genomics.cn.
Liang Xiao: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory of Detection and Intervention of Human Intestinal Microbiome, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao 266555, China.
Yong Hou: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Xun Xu: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
Huanming Yang: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Jian Wang: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Karsten Kristiansen: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-2100, Denmark; BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao 266555, China.
Huijue Jia: BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Human Commensal Microorganisms and Health Research, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China. Electronic address: jiahuijue@genomics.cn.
The vagina contains at least a billion microbial cells, dominated by lactobacilli. Here we perform metagenomic shotgun sequencing on cervical and fecal samples from a cohort of 516 Chinese women of reproductive age, as well as cervical, fecal, and salivary samples from a second cohort of 632 women. Factors such as pregnancyhistory, delivery history, cesarean section, and breastfeeding were all more important than menstrual cycle in shaping the microbiome, and such information would be necessary before trying to interpret differences between vagino-cervical microbiome data. Greater proportion of Bifidobacterium breve was seen with older age at sexual debut. The relative abundance of lactobacilli especially Lactobacillus crispatus was negatively associated with pregnancy history. Potential markers for lack of menstrual regularity, heavy flow, dysmenorrhea, and contraceptives were also identified. Lactobacilli were rare during breastfeeding or post-menopause. Other features such as mood fluctuations and facial speckles could potentially be predicted from the vagino-cervical microbiome. Gut and salivary microbiomes, plasma vitamins, metals, amino acids, and hormones showed associations with the vagino-cervical microbiome. Our results offer an unprecedented glimpse into the microbiota of the female reproductive tract and call for international collaborations to better understand its long-term health impact other than in the settings of infection or pre-term birth.
