The vaginal microbiome are the microorganisms that colonize the vagina, and have a major influence on women’s health. The microbial community in the vagina helps in maintaining a lower vaginal pH and produces a variety of anti-microbial metabolites, including lactic acid and bacteriocins. Lactobacilli spp. are a commonly identified bacteria in the vaginal microbiome of healthy women, however, other species of bacteria are also present in the vaginal microbial community of healthy women. The vaginal microbiome is highly dependent on host factors, human behavior, and health. The communication of the microbiome with vaginal epithelial cells through various secreted soluble factors, including cytokines, regulates epithelial innate immunity and barrier functionality in a species and strains-specific manner.
Abnormalities in the vaginal microbiota may account for diseases such as Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), a common vaginal disorder in reproductive-aged women, and may also be a risk factor for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). An unhealthy microbiome increases vaginal inflammation and alters the balance of various cytokines via differential expression and secretion of these factors. It is also responsible for heightened cellular activation and is associated with a decreased epithelial barrier function.
It is important to understand this relationship between mucosal host immunity and the composition of the vaginal microbiome, which may influence women’s reproductive health. This Research Topic will also focus on the mechanisms of host-microbe communication via secreted metabolites and host factors that dampen inflammation and help to protect women from STIs.
In this Research Topic, we welcome the submission of Original Research articles, Reviews, and Case Reports that cover, but are not limited to, the following subtopics:
1. Host vaginal epithelial and microbial-immune interactions
2. Cytokines profiling in the vaginal microenvironment and host immune response
3. Host immune response to metabolites secreted by microbes in the vaginal microbiome
4. Vaginal microbiome and the cytokine microenvironment in infertility and pregnancy-related complications
The vaginal microbiome are the microorganisms that colonize the vagina, and have a major influence on women’s health. The microbial community in the vagina helps in maintaining a lower vaginal pH and produces a variety of anti-microbial metabolites, including lactic acid and bacteriocins. Lactobacilli spp. are a commonly identified bacteria in the vaginal microbiome of healthy women, however, other species of bacteria are also present in the vaginal microbial community of healthy women. The vaginal microbiome is highly dependent on host factors, human behavior, and health. The communication of the microbiome with vaginal epithelial cells through various secreted soluble factors, including cytokines, regulates epithelial innate immunity and barrier functionality in a species and strains-specific manner.
Abnormalities in the vaginal microbiota may account for diseases such as Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), a common vaginal disorder in reproductive-aged women, and may also be a risk factor for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). An unhealthy microbiome increases vaginal inflammation and alters the balance of various cytokines via differential expression and secretion of these factors. It is also responsible for heightened cellular activation and is associated with a decreased epithelial barrier function.
It is important to understand this relationship between mucosal host immunity and the composition of the vaginal microbiome, which may influence women’s reproductive health. This Research Topic will also focus on the mechanisms of host-microbe communication via secreted metabolites and host factors that dampen inflammation and help to protect women from STIs.
In this Research Topic, we welcome the submission of Original Research articles, Reviews, and Case Reports that cover, but are not limited to, the following subtopics:
1. Host vaginal epithelial and microbial-immune interactions
2. Cytokines profiling in the vaginal microenvironment and host immune response
3. Host immune response to metabolites secreted by microbes in the vaginal microbiome
4. Vaginal microbiome and the cytokine microenvironment in infertility and pregnancy-related complications
