AUTHOR=Frąszczak Karolina , Barczyński Bartłomiej , Siwiec Radosław , Kondracka Adrianna , Malm Anna , Kotarski Jan , Witt Elzbieta , Korona-Głowniak Izabela 

TITLE=The analysis of Lactobacillus spp. distribution in the vaginal microbiota of Polish women with abnormal Pap smear result

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257587

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257587

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Introduction</title><p>A healthy vaginal microbiota is represented mainly by <italic>Lactobacillus</italic> spp. and plays a vital role in maintaining the functional balance in the vaginal environment. Scientists have drawn attention to possible correlations between the vaginal microbiome and gynecological neoplasms. Several recent studies have shown a potential link between the vaginal microbiome and the risk of developing cervical cancer from human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. This study aimed to compare the prevalence and abundance of various lactic acid bacteria species (LABs) in vaginal swabs from healthy controls and patients with abnormal Pap smear results.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>The study included 100 women (79 patients with abnormal cervical Pap smear results and 21 controls) from whom vaginal swabs were collected. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to determine seven lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species and their quantities.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>Most patients were colonized by two <italic>Lactobacillus</italic> species, primarily <italic>Lactobacillus gasseri</italic> (93%) and <italic>L. crispatus</italic> (83%). Patient age and place of residence were associated with the diversity of LAB in the vaginal microbiota. The abundance of <italic>L. delbrueckii</italic> in the vaginal microbiota increased, whereas the abundance of <italic>L. gasseri</italic> abundance decreased, with patient age. <italic>Lactobacillus acidophilus</italic> and <italic>Limosilactobacillus fermentum</italic> were significantly more often detected in patients living in rural versus urban areas. Statistical analysis did not show any significant differences in LAB between groups of patients with various changes on smear tests.</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Discussion</title><p>The degree of dysplastic changes in the endothelium or the presence of a group of atypical cervical stratified epithelial cells was not associated with significant changes in the studied vaginal bacteria.</p></sec>