ArticlePloS one2017
The association between ethnicity and vaginal microbiota composition in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 120 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
120 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 205 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effect of Exogenous Sex Steroids on the Vaginal Microbiota: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021Pooled it
- The Association Between Vaginal Microbiota Dysbiosis, Bacterial Vaginosis, and Aerobic Vaginitis, and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes of Women Living in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in public health · 2020Pooled it
- Pathobionts in the Vaginal Microbiota: Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis of Three Sequencing Studies.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Selection and Characterization of Vaginal Lactobacilli from Healthy Algerian Women with Potential Probiotic Properties Against Urogenital Pathogens.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Vaginal microbiomes and their pertinent social context: a microbial ecological review proffering AMR-STI acquisition and emergence.Biology of sex differences · 2026Review
- The vaginal microbiome in pregnancy and preterm birth: mechanisms, disparities, and therapeutic opportunities.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Review
- Vaginal microbial community state types fail to predict IVF outcomes, whereasHuman reproduction open · 2026Article
- Profiling of vaginal microbial communities in Chilean women via self-sampling and nanopore sequencing.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Diversity in women and their vaginal microbiota.Trends in microbiology · 2025Review
- Gynecological Cancer Oncobiome Systematic Review.Cancers · 2025Review
- Vaginal Microbiome Composition, Diversity and Dysbiosis: The ORCHiD Study.Research square · 2025Article
- Cervicovaginal microbial features predictInfection and immunity · 2025Article
- Longitudinal cervicovaginal bacteriome and virome alterations associate with discordant shedding and ART duration in women living with HIV in Peru.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Cohort Profile Update: The Healthy Life in an Urban Setting (HELIUS) Study.International journal of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Factors shaping vaginal microbiota long-term community dynamics in young adult women.Peer community journal · 2025Article
- Fatty acid composition in the vaginal tract of cis-gender women: canary in coal mines for reproductive health?Lipids in health and disease · 2025Review
- Microbial influences on HPV infection and cervical carcinogenesis: emerging evidence from the vaginal microbiome.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Understanding the role of oral and vaginal microbiomes in HPV-related cervical, head, and neck cancers: knowledge gaps and feasibility in Sub-Saharan Africa.Frontiers in microbiomes · 2025Review
- Genome wide association study of vaginal microbiota genetic diversity in French women.Open research Europe · 2025Article
60 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate whether ethnicity is independently associated with vaginal microbiota (VMB) composition in women living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as has been shown for American women.
methodsWomen (18-34 years, non-pregnant, N = 610) representing the six largest ethnic groups (Dutch, African Surinamese, South-Asian Surinamese, Turkish, Moroccan, and Ghanaian) were sampled from the population-based HELIUS study. Sampling was performed irrespective of health status or healthcare seeking behavior. DNA was extracted from self-sampled vaginal swabs and sequenced by Illumina MiSeq (16S rRNA gene V3-V4 region).
resultsThe overall prevalence of VMBs not dominated by lactobacilli was 38.5%: 32.2% had a VMB resembling bacterial vaginosis and another 6.2% had a VMB dominated by Bifidobacteriaceae (not including Gardnerella vaginalis), Corynebacterium, or pathobionts (streptococci, staphylococci, Proteus or Enterobacteriaceae). The most prevalent VMB in ethnically Dutch women was a Lactobacillus crispatus-dominated VMB, in African Surinamese and Ghanaian women a polybacterial G. vaginalis-containing VMB, and in the other ethnic groups a L. iners-dominated VMB. After adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioral and clinical factors, African Surinamese ethnicity (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 5.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1-12.0) and Ghanaian ethnicity (aOR 4.8, 95% CI 1.8-12.6) were associated with having a polybacterial G. vaginalis-containing VMB, and African Surinamese ethnicity with a L. iners-dominated VMB (aOR 2.8, 95% CI 1.2-6.2). Shorter steady relationship duration, inconsistent condom use with casual partners, and not using hormonal contraception were also associated with having a polybacterial G. vaginalis-containing VMB, but human papillomavirus infection was not. Other sexually transmitted infections were uncommon.
conclusionsThe overall prevalence of having a VMB not dominated by lactobacilli in this population-based cohort of women aged 18-34 years in Amsterdam was high (38.5%), and women of sub-Saharan African descent were significantly more likely to have a polybacterial G. vaginalis-containing VMB than Dutch women independent of modifiable behaviors.
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Registered trials
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