AUTHOR=Margarita Valentina , Fiori Pier Luigi , Rappelli Paola 

TITLE=Impact of Symbiosis Between Trichomonas vaginalis and Mycoplasma hominis on Vaginal Dysbiosis: A Mini Review

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2020.00179

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2020.00179

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p>The protozoon <italic>Trichomonas vaginalis</italic> is responsible for trichomoniasis, a common sexually transmitted infection associated with an increased risk of HIV infection and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The protozoon has the surprising ability to establish a symbiotic relationship with other microorganisms. In fact, most <italic>T.vaginalis</italic> isolates intracellularly host the vaginal bacterium <italic>Mycoplasma hominis</italic> and can harbor up to four dsRNA viruses. Moreover, a novel <italic>Mycoplasma</italic> species named <italic>Ca. Mycoplasma girerdii</italic> has been recently described as associated with trichomonad cells. <italic>Trichomonas vaginalis</italic> colonizes the human vagina and its presence causes profound alterations of the resident microbiota, leading to dysbiosis. In healthy women, vaginal microbiota is characterized by the presence of a complex population of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms living in a physiologically dynamic system dominated by bacteria of the genera <italic>Lactobacillus</italic>. The most common microbial vaginal imbalance is bacterial vaginosis, a polymicrobial disease associated with several adverse reproductive outcomes and increased risk of HIV infection. Here, we review the current knowledge regarding the interactions between both <italic>T.vaginalis</italic> and <italic>M.hominis</italic> and the vaginal microbiota, and we discuss the possibility of a cooperation between <italic>T.vaginalis</italic> and its symbionts in the development of vaginal dysbiosis.</p>