ArticlePloS one2010
The effects of circumcision on the penis microbiome.
Article in PloS one, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 125 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
125 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 257 citations in OpenAlex.
- Human microbiota research in Africa: a systematic review reveals gaps and priorities for future research.Microbiome · 2021Pooled it
- Routine neonatal circumcision for the prevention of urinary tract infections in infancy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2012Pooled it
- Comparison of the penile microbiome in infant male circumcision: Mogen clamp versus Shangring.EBioMedicine · 2024Trial
- Male circumcision significantly reduces prevalence and load of genital anaerobic bacteria.mBio · 2013Trial
- Partner characteristics predicting HIV-1 set point in sexually acquired HIV-1 among African seroconverters.AIDS research and human retroviruses · 2013Trial
- The effect of medical male circumcision on urogenital Mycoplasma genitalium among men in Kisumu, Kenya.Sexually transmitted diseases · 2012Trial
- Microbial diversity of genital ulcer disease in men enrolled in a randomized trial of male circumcision in Kisumu, Kenya.PloS one · 2012Trial
- HIV Transmission and Immunology of the Male Reproductive Tract.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026Review
- Anaerobe-Driven Inflammation and Epithelial Barrier Disruption in Genital HIV Acquisition.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026Review
- Pathological phimosis is associated with foreskin immune cell infiltration but not microbiota composition.mSphere · 2026Article
- Article
- Microbial community structure and source contribution to the early neovaginal microbiota following penile inversion vaginoplasty.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- The neovaginal microbiota, symptoms, and local immune correlates in transfeminine individuals with penile inversion vaginoplasty.Cell reports · 2025Article
- Genomic trends and emerging antimicrobial resistance inMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Unlocking the Interactions Between the Whole-Body Microbiome and HPV Infection: A Literature Review.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- Current and emerging strategies to curb antibiotic-resistant urinary tract infections.Nature reviews. Urology · 2024Review
- Insights into the assembly of the neovaginal microbiota in Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome patients.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Article
- Relationship between Bacterial Vaginosis and Sexually Transmitted Infections: Coincidence, Consequence or Co-Transmission?Microorganisms · 2023Article
65 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCircumcision is associated with significant reductions in HIV, HSV-2 and HPV infections among men and significant reductions in bacterial vaginosis among their female partners. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsWe assessed the penile (coronal sulci) microbiota in 12 HIV-negative Ugandan men before and after circumcision. Microbiota were characterized using sequence-tagged 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing targeting the V3-V4 hypervariable regions. Taxonomic classification was performed using the RDP Naïve Bayesian Classifier. Among the 42 unique bacterial families identified, Pseudomonadaceae and Oxalobactericeae were the most abundant irrespective of circumcision status. Circumcision was associated with a significant change in the overall microbiota (PerMANOVA p = 0.007) and with a significant decrease in putative anaerobic bacterial families (Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test p = 0.014). Specifically, two families-Clostridiales Family XI (p = 0.006) and Prevotellaceae (p = 0.006)-were uniquely abundant before circumcision. Within these families we identified a number of anaerobic genera previously associated with bacterial vaginosis including: Anaerococcus spp., Finegoldia spp., Peptoniphilus spp., and Prevotella spp. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The anoxic microenvironment of the subpreputial space may support pro-inflammatory anaerobes that can activate Langerhans cells to present HIV to CD4 cells in draining lymph nodes. Thus, the reduction in putative anaerobic bacteria after circumcision may play a role in protection from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.