ArticlePloS one2017
Association of high-risk sexual behaviour with diversity of the vaginal microbiota and abundance of Lactobacillus.
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 32 papers.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed.
- Trial
- A Dive into the Invisible: The Vaginal and Endometrial Microbiota in Gynecologic and Obstetric Disorders: A Narrative Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The vital role of Lactobacillus sp. in vaginal health: Implications for enhanced prophylactic research.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Predictive modeling for cervical cancer: existing AI approaches and the emerging role of vaginal microbiome.Frontiers in network physiology · 2026Article
- Vaginal microbiota in assisted reproduction: determinants, dynamics, and impact on clinical outcomes.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- 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
- Postbiotic metabolites derived from lactobacillus fermentum as potent antiproliferative bioresources on HeLa cells with promising biocompatibility.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- Water source, latrine type, and rainfall are associated with detection of non-optimal and enteric bacteria in the vaginal microbiome: a prospective observational cohort study nested within a cluster randomized controlled trial.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Observational
- Broadly neutralizing antibodies consistently trap HIV-1 in fresh cervicovaginal mucus from select individuals.Acta biomaterialia · 2023Article
- Article
- Article
- Molecular Identification of Cervical Microbes in HIV-Negative and HIV-Positive Women in an African Setting Using a Customized Bacterial Vaginosis Microbial DNA Quantitative PCR (qPCR) Array.Microbiology spectrum · 2022Article
- Recurrent bacterial vaginosis following metronidazole treatment is associated with microbiota richness at diagnosis.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2022Article
- Age-Stratified Analysis of Vaginal Microbiota Dysbiosis and the Relationship with HPV Viral Load in HPV-Positive Women.Journal of immunology research · 2022Article
- The female reproductive tract microbiotas, inflammation, and gynecological conditions.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2022Review
- Evidence of HIV-1 Genital Shedding after One Year of Antiretroviral Therapy in Females Recently Diagnosed in Bamako, Mali.Microorganisms · 2021Article
- Endometrial microbiota is more diverse in people with endometriosis than symptomatic controls.Scientific reports · 2021Observational
- Differences in the Genital Microbiota in Women Who Naturally ClearFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021Article
- Bacterial Vaginosis: What Do We Currently Know?Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo compare the vaginal microbiota of women engaged in high-risk sexual behaviour (sex work) with women who are not engaged in high-risk sexual behaviour. Diverse vaginal microbiota, low in Lactobacillus species, like those in bacterial vaginosis (BV), are associated with increased prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition. Although high-risk sexual behaviour increases risk for STIs, the vaginal microbiota of sex workers is understudied.
methodsA retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted comparing vaginal microbiota of women who are not engaged in sex work (non-sex worker controls, NSW, N = 19) and women engaged in sex work (female sex workers, FSW, N = 48), using Illumina sequencing (16S rRNA, V3 region).
resultsBacterial richness and diversity were significantly less in controls, than FSW. Controls were more likely to have Lactobacillus as the most abundant genus (58% vs. 17%; P = 0.002) and composition of their vaginal microbiota differed from FSW (PERMANOVA, P = 0.001). Six microbiota clusters were detected, including a high diversity cluster with three sub-clusters, and 55% of women with low Nugent Scores fell within this cluster. High diversity was observed by 16S sequencing in FSW, regardless of Nugent Scores, suggesting that Nugent Score may not be capable of capturing the diversity present in the FSW vaginal microbiota.
conclusionsHigh-risk sexual behaviour is associated with diversity of the vaginal microbiota and lack of Lactobacillus. These factors could contribute to increased risk of STIs and HIV in women engaged in high-risk sexual behaviour.
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