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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Bacteria and Host
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1480200

Alterations of the paired maternal vaginal microbiome and neonatal meconium microbiome in vulvovaginal candidiasis positive pregnant women

Provisionally accepted
Hongqin Zhang Hongqin Zhang 1*Hongping Li Hongping Li 2Ruolin Zhang Ruolin Zhang 1Hongxia Ji Hongxia Ji 1Jun Chen Jun Chen 1NIE CHUAN NIE CHUAN 3Weimin Huang Weimin Huang 2
  • 1 Nanshan Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Shenzhen, China
  • 2 Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
  • 3 Guangdong Province Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Women with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) are known to experience vaginal microbial dysbiosis. However, the dynamic alterations of the vaginal microbiome in pregnant women with VVC and its effect on neonatal gut microbiome remain unclear. This study aims to characterize the vaginal microbiome in pregnant women with VVC and its impact on their offspring's meconium microbiome.Methods: Forty-four pregnant women, including 17 with VVC (VVC group) and 27 healthy controls (HC group), along with their 44 offspring, were enrolled in this study.Maternal vaginal samples were collected during the pre-and post-delivery phases.Meconium samples from their newborns were also obtained. Microbial communities were characterized using 16S rRNA sequencing.The vaginal microbiome of healthy pregnant women was predominantly composed of the genus Lactobacillus. The Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index indicated significant alterations in the vaginal microbiome of the VVC group, with a notable decrease in Lactobacillus and significant increases in Delftia, Burkholderia during both the pre-and post-delivery phases compared to the HC group. Additionally, the neonatal meconium microbiome exhibited significant differences between the VVC and HC groups, with L. salivarius and L. helveticus significantly decreased and Delftia significantly increased in the VVC group. Similar trends in microbial variation were observed across maternal and neonatal microbiomes, indicating intergenerational concordance associated with VVC.VVC alters the microbiota of both pregnant women and their neonates at birth, suggesting a form of microbial inheritance. These findings underscore the distinctive characteristics of the vaginal microbiome associated with VVC and its potential impact on the formation of early-life gut microbiome.

    Keywords: vulvovaginal candidiasis, vaginal microbiome, meconium microbiome, microbial community, Genital infection

    Received: 13 Aug 2024; Accepted: 25 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Li, Zhang, Ji, Chen, CHUAN and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hongqin Zhang, Nanshan Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Shenzhen, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.