MBIO 4440 Lecture 5: Vaginal Microbiome
23 Jan 2019
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Document Summary
The assemblages of microbes (microbiota) associated with the human body have been shown to affect human physiology, immunity and nutrition. In the vagina, microbes exist in a finely tuned mutualistic relationship with the host and provide the first line of defense against the colonization by opportunistic pathogens. The term microbiome (microbiotia with the products of their metabolism), refers to the microbiota (all microorganisms that exist in one envrionment), together with their products. Lactobacillus is typically the most dominant organism in the vaginal microbial communities and has been associated with healthy reproductive-aged women. Lactobacillus produces lactic acid due to fermentation of sugars produced by the host. Lactic acid causes a decrease of the vaginal ph. The lactic acid or the acidic environment is thought to be highly protective against infections or colonization of the vagina by pathogens and non-indigenous microbes. An additional benefit of lactobacillus spp. is the supply of bacteriocins or bacteriocin genes to inhibit growth of undesirable species.
