Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23585843›Full record

ArticlePloS one2013

Composition of the vaginal microbiota in women of reproductive age--sensitive and specific molecular diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis is possible?

Elena Shipitsyna, Annika Roos, Raluca Datcu, Anders Hallén, Hans Fredlund, Jørgen S Jensen, Lars Engstrand, Magnus Unemo

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 114 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
114citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
13.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

114 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 229 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Contribution ofFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021
    Pooled it
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  7. Dynamics of Extracellular Traps in Vaginal Dysbiosis Associated withInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology · 2025
    Article
  11. Drug and therapeutic intravaginal delivery targeting diseases in the female reproductive tract: A mathematical modeling perspective.Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 2025
    Review
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54 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Elena ShipitsynaLaboratory of Microbiology, D. O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saint Petersburg, Russia. magnus.unemo@orebroll.se
Annika Roos
Raluca Datcu
Anders Hallén
Hans Fredlund
Jørgen S Jensen
Lars Engstrand
Magnus Unemo
Karolinska Institutet · SEÖrebro University Hospital · SEStatens Serum Institut · DKResearch Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology named after D.O. Ott · RUUppsala University Hospital · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectiveBacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal disorder, characterized by depletion of the normal lactobacillus-dominant microbiota and overgrowth of commensal anaerobic bacteria. This study aimed to investigate the composition of the vaginal microbiota in women of reproductive age (healthy women and women with BV), with the view of developing molecular criteria for BV diagnosis. MATERIALS AND

methodsVaginal samples from 163 women (79 control, 73 BV and 11 intermediate (Lactobacillary grade II flora) cases) were analyzed using 454 pyrosequencing of the hypervariable regions V3-V4 of the 16S rRNA gene and 16 quantitative bacterial species/genus-specific real-time PCR assays. Sensitivities and specificities of potential BV markers were computed using the Amsel criteria as reference standard for BV. The use of quantitative thresholds for prediction of BV, determined for both relative abundance measured with 454 pyrosequencing and bacterial load measured with qPCR, was evaluated.

resultsRelative to the healthy women, the BV patients had in their vaginal microbiota significantly higher prevalence, loads and relative abundances of the majority of BV associated bacteria. However, only Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae, Eggerthella, Prevotella, BVAB2 and Megasphaera type 1 detected at or above optimal thresholds were highly predictable for BV, with the best diagnostic accuracy shown for A. vaginae. The depletion of Lactobacillus species combined with the presence of either G. vaginalis or A. vaginae at diagnostic levels was a highly accurate BV predictor.

conclusionsQuantitative determination of the presence of G. vaginalis, A. vaginae, Eggerthella, Prevotella, BVAB2 and Megasphaera type 1 as well as the depletion of Lactobacillus was highly accurate for BV diagnosis. Measurements of abundance of normal and BV microbiota relative to total bacteria in vaginal fluid may provide more accurate BV diagnosis, and be used for test-of-cure, rather than qualitative detection or absolute counts of BV related microorganisms.

Indexed as

ActinobacteriaAdolescentAdultCase-Control StudiesDNA, BacterialFemaleGardnerella vaginalisHigh-Throughput Nucleotide SequencingHumansLactobacillusMegasphaeraMetagenomeMiddle AgedReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionRNA, Ribosomal, 16SVaginaDNA, BacterialRNA, Ribosomal, 16S

Identifiers

PMID23585843
PMCPMC3621988
OpenAlexW2062055186

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.