Cervicovaginal bacterial communities in reproductive-aged Tanzanian women with Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium, or without schistosome infection. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Schistosome infection is recognized as a potentially modifiable risk factor for HIV in women by the World Health Organization. Alterations in cervicovaginal bacteria have been associated with HIV acquisition and have not been studied in schistosome infection. We collected cervical swabs from Tanzanian women with and without S. mansoni and S. haematobium to determine effects on cervicovaginal microbiota. Infected women were treated, and follow-up swabs were collected after 3 months. 16S rRNA sequencing was performed on DNA extracted from swabs. We compared 39 women with S. mansoni with 52 uninfected controls, and 16 with S. haematobium with 27 controls. S. mansoni-infected women had increased abundance of Peptostreptococcus (p = 0.026) and presence of Prevotella timonesis (p = 0.048) compared to controls. High-intensity S. haematobium infection was associated with more diverse cervicovaginal bacterial communities than uninfected controls (p = 0.0159). High-intensity S. mansoni infection showed a similar trend (p = 0.154). At follow-up, we observed increased alpha diversity in S. mansoni (2.53 vs. 1.72, p = 0.022) and S. haematobium (2.05 vs. 1.12, p = 0.066) infection groups compared to controls. Modifications in cervicovaginal microbiota, particularly increased diversity and abundance of taxa associated with bacterial vaginosis and HIV (Peptostreptococcus, Prevotella), were associated with schistosome infection.

publication date

  • January 6, 2021

Research

keywords

  • Schistosomiasis haematobia
  • Schistosomiasis mansoni

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC8115289

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85099233881

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1038/s41396-020-00868-9

PubMed ID

  • 33408370

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 15

issue

  • 5