The various microbiota normally associated with the human body have an important influence
on human development, physiology, immunity, and nutrition. This is certainly true
for the vagina wherein communities of mutualistic bacteria constitute the first line
of defense for the host by excluding invasive, nonindigenous organisms that may cause
disease. In recent years much has been learned about the bacterial species composition
of these communities and how they differ between individuals of different ages and
ethnicities. A deeper understanding of their origins and the interrelationships of
constituent species is needed to understand how and why they change over time or in
response to changes in the host environment. Moreover, there are few unifying theories
to explain the ecological dynamics of vaginal ecosystems as they respond to disturbances
caused by menses and human activities such as intercourse, douching, and other habits
and practices. This fundamental knowledge is needed to diagnose and assess risk to
disease. Here we summarize what is known about the species composition, structure,
and function of bacterial communities in the human vagina and the applicability of
ecological models of community structure and function to understanding the dynamics
of this and other ecosystems that comprise the human microbiome.
Abbreviations:
BV (bacterial vaginosis), DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), 16S rRNA (16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid), H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide), HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), BVAB (bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria), KOH (potassium hydroxide)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 07, 2012
Accepted:
February 14,
2012
Received in revised form:
February 13,
2012
Received:
December 9,
2011
Footnotes
The present address for Jacob D. Pierson is College of Law, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.
This work was supported by grants UO1 AI070921 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and UH2 AI083264 from the Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
Conflict of interests: None.
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Copyright
© 2012 Mosby, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
