• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.248-258
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• 2020

The vaginal microbiota may be important for pregnancy prognosis because vaginal dysbiosis during pregnancy appears to be related to preterm birth (PTB) or pregnancy loss. Previous reports have indicated that a Lactobacillus-poor microbial flora in the vagina and intrauterine infection by diverse anaerobes ascending from the vagina are associated with undesirable delivery outcomes. However, no research has involved the use of pyrosequencing analysis to examine vaginal microbiota profiles or their potential associations with high-risk pregnancy in Korean women. Vaginal swabs were collected from 500 Korean women for the identification of community state types (CSTs). Of these, 137 samples were further analyzed using a Roche/454 GS Junior pyrosequencer. Three distinct CSTs were identified based on the dominant vaginal microbes: CST I (Lactobacillus crispatus dominated), CST III (Lactobacillus iners dominated), and CST IV (with diverse species of anaerobes). Twelve of the 67 pregnant women had undesirable pregnancy outcomes (four miscarriages and eight PTBs). The dominant microbe in the vaginal microbiota of women who gave birth at full-term was L. crispatus. In contrast, L. iners was the dominant vaginal microbe in women who miscarried. Most (n = 6/8) vaginal microbiota profiles of women who experienced PTB could be classified as CST IV, with diverse bacteria, including anaerobic vaginal species. The present study provides valuable information regarding the characteristics of the vaginal microbiota of Korean women related to high-risk pregnancy. Investigation of the vaginal microbiotic structure in pregnant Korean women is necessary to enable better prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.109-123
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• 2023

Preterm birth (PTB) is defined as giving birth prior to the 37th week of pregnancy and is a major cause of infant mortality. Studies have indicated that the vaginal microbiota's composition and its dysbiosis, particularly during pregnancy, may play a major role in PTB. While previous research work concentrated on well-studied microorganisms such as Lactobacillus, Prevotella, Gardnerella, various other microbes, and their significance in the vaginal microbiota's stability remain unknown. Moreover, current studies have focused primarily on the relative abundances of the microbes found, without considering their interactions with other members of the vaginal microbiota. In this work, we developed a novel computational approach and performed taxonomic classification of vaginal microbiota samples stratified longitudinally (Term/PTB) to observe compositional disparities and find underexamined microbes that may be contributing to PTB. Furthermore, we carried out a correlational analysis to build a microbial co-interaction network and investigated the functional implications of the genes present in both Term and PTB samples. The co-occurrence network revealed that Lactobacillus acts in solidarity to maintain the stability of the vaginal microbiota and did not have strong co-interactions with any of the other microbes. Similarly, microbes with strong interactions with Atopobium, a well-known marker microbe of PTB, were also observed. Additionally, several genes such as PTXA, FANCM, GPX, and DUSP were found to be playing an important role in the occurrence of PTB. This study provides a novel conceptual framework revealing distinct vaginal microbiota signatures that could be potential therapeutic targets for the prevention of PTB.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.515-520
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• 2007

Vaginal lactic acid-producing bacteria of 80 pre-menopausal women were studied by isolation on Blood and DeMan-Rogosa-Sharpe agar, PCR with group-specific primers for Lactobacillus-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and PCR with specific primers for V3 region in 16S rRNA-temporal temperature gel electrophoresis (TTGE). Conventional isolation method on media detected only one lactobacillus (Lactobacillus brevis) while TTGE detected only Lactobacillus sp. DGGE detected seven Lactobacillus species; L. coleohominis, L. crispatus, L. iners, L. reuteri, L. rhamnosus, L. vaginalis, and Leuconostoc lactis. L. acidophilus and L. gasseri, which are prevalent in Western women, were not detected in Korean women. Furthermore, L. rhamnosus, Leuc. lactis, L. coleohominis, and Weissella cibaria, which were not previously reported in the vaginal microbiota of Korean women, were detected. The five most prevalent LABs in vaginal microbiota in Korean women were L. iners, Enterococcus faecalis, L. crispatus, Leuc. lactis, and W. cibaria.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.804-810
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• 2020

The profitability of the dairy and beef industries is largely affected by the actually achieved reproductive efficiency. Although a large proportion of cows worldwide are bred by artificial insemination (AI) services, many potential factors affecting the outcome of pregnancy by AI remain to be addressed. In the present study, we investigated the vaginal microbiota by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and analyzed their association with differential pregnancy outcomes (i.e., pregnant vs. nonpregnant) of multiple AI services in dairy cows. Sequencing of the V3-V4 region totally produced 512,046 high-quality sequences that were computationally clustered into 2,584 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). All OTUs were taxonomically assigned to 10 bacterial phyla. There were statistically significant differences among the three AI service times (T1, T2 and T3) with respect to the Shannon index and number of observed OTUs (p < 0.05). Bray-Curtis distance-based PCoA analysis also revealed that T2 group could be significantly distinguished from T1 and T3. However, no significant difference between the pregnant and nonpregnant cows was found in confidence regarding both alpha diversity and beta diversity. These results could help us better understand the possible influence of vaginal microbial community on pregnancy outcomes of AI service in cows.

• Journal of Menopausal Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.139-145
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• 2017

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) and complicated vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) are frequently occurring vaginal infections in postmenopausal women, caused by an imbalance in vaginal microflora. Postmenopausal women suffer from decreased ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone. A normal, healthy vaginal microflora mainly comprises Lactobacillus species (spp.), which act beneficially as a bacterial barrier in the vagina, interfering with uropathogens. During premenopausal period, estrogen promotes vaginal colonization by lactobacilli that metabolizing glycogen and producing lactic acid, and maintains intravaginal health by lowering the intravaginal pH level. A lower vaginal pH inhibits uropathogen growth, preventing vaginal infections. Decreased estrogen secretion in postmenopausal women depletes lactobacilli and increases intravaginal pH, resulting in increased vaginal colonization by harmful microorganisms (e.g., Enterobacter, Escherichia coli, Candida, and Gardnerella). Probiotics positively effects on vaginal microflora composition by promoting the proliferation of beneficial microorganisms, alters the intravaginal microbiota composition, prevents vaginal infections in postmenopausal. Probiotics also reduce the symptoms of vaginal infections (e.g., vaginal discharge, odor, etc.), and are thus helpful for the treatment and prevention of BV and VVC. In this review article, we provide information on the intravaginal mechanism of postmenopausal vaginal infections, and describes the effectiveness of probiotics in the treatment and prevention of BV and VVC.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2016

Vaginitis, also known as vaginal infection and vulvovaginitis, is an inflammation of the vagina and possibly vulva. The three main kinds of vaginitis are bacterial vaginosis, vaginal candidiasis, and trichomoniasis. The purpose of this study was to characterize Lactobacillus plantarum MG989 and L. fermentum MG901 isolated from the vaginas of healthy Korean women in terms of their inhibitory activity against the vaginitis associated pathogens such as Gardnerella vaginalis and Candida albicans. Co-culture experiments showed that the two Lactobacillus strains MG989 and MG901 significantly reduced the viability of G. vaginalis and C. albicans. Also, the two strains were resistant to bile acid up to 1% and their autoaggregation rates were as high as 83.33%. Further studies are underway to demonstrate that the two strains can be applied as pharmaceutical agents for recovering healthy vaginal ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.2.1-2.6
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• 2021

The reproductive tracts have an intimate relationship with reproduction because there are bacterial communities that can affect reproductive health. The differences in the bacterial community of periparturient dairy cows were investigated. Vaginal and fecal samples were collected seven days before and after calving, and DNA was extracted to sequence the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA genes. In the postpartum vaginas, operational taxonomic units, Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson were decreased, and phyla Fusobacteria and Bacteroidetes were increased. In summary, bacterial abundance can affect the periparturient biological differences in dairy cows, suggesting a susceptibility to infection within one week after calving.