Vaginal microbial dynamics and pathogen colonization in a humanized microbiota mouse model

Autor: Marlyd E. Mejia, Vicki Mercado-Evans, Jacob J. Zulk, Samantha Ottinger, Korinna Ruiz, Mallory B. Ballard, Stephanie W. Fowler, Robert A. Britton, Kathryn A. Patras
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-16 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2055-5008
DOI: 10.1038/s41522-023-00454-9
Popis: Abstract Vaginal microbial composition is associated with differential risk of urogenital infection. Although Lactobacillus spp. are thought to confer protection against infection, the lack of in vivo models resembling the human vaginal microbiota remains a prominent barrier to mechanistic discovery. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of C57BL/6J female mice, we found that vaginal microbial composition varies within and between colonies across three vivaria. Noting vaginal microbial plasticity in conventional mice, we assessed the vaginal microbiome of humanized microbiota mice (HMbmice). Like the community structure in conventional mice, HMbmice vaginal microbiota clustered into community state types but, uniquely, HMbmice communities were frequently dominated by Lactobacillus or Enterobacteriaceae. Compared to conventional mice, HMbmice were less susceptible to uterine ascension by urogenital pathobionts group B Streptococcus (GBS) and Prevotella bivia. Although Escherichia and Lactobacillus both correlated with the absence of uterine GBS, vaginal pre-inoculation with exogenous HMbmouse-derived E. coli, but not Ligilactobacillus murinus, reduced vaginal GBS burden. Overall, HMbmice serve as a useful model to elucidate the role of endogenous microbes in conferring protection against urogenital pathogens.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals