ReviewBMC pregnancy and childbirth2021
Composition of the vaginal microbiota during pregnancy in women living in sub-Saharan Africa: a PRISMA-compliant review.
Review in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Probiotic supplementation during pregnancy for vaginal microbiota improvement and pathogen clearance: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2026Pooled it
- Contribution ofFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- Combined effects of bacterial vaginal colonization and HIV on pregnancy outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Research square · 2026Article
- Vaginal Pathogenic Bacterial Colonization and Adverse Birth Outcomes among Pregnant Women Living with and without HIV in Tanzania.Research square · 2026Article
- The vaginal microbiome in pregnancy and preterm birth: mechanisms, disparities, and therapeutic opportunities.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Review
- Factors shaping vaginal microbiota long-term community dynamics in young adult women.Peer community journal · 2025Article
- Interaction of vaginal microbiota and biomarkers in Premature rupture of membranes: from bench to beside.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Unlocking the potential for microbiome-based therapeutics to address the sustainable development goal of good health and wellbeing.Microbial biotechnology · 2024Review
- Changes in the Vaginal Microbiome During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period in South African Women: a Longitudinal Study.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2024Article
- Vaginal and Rectal microbiome changes following administration of a multi-species antenatal probiotic: A randomized control trial.Gut microbes reports · 2024Article
- Changes in the vaginal microbiome during pregnancy and the postpartum period in South African women: a longitudinal study.Research square · 2023Article
- Compositional Changes in the Vaginal Bacterial Microbiome of Healthy Pregnant Women across the Three Gestational Trimesters in Ismailia, Egypt.Microorganisms · 2023Article
- Alterations of the vaginal microbiome in healthy pregnant women positive for group B Streptococcus colonization during the third trimester.BMC microbiology · 2022Article
- Vaginal microbiota in women with spontaneous preterm labor versus those with term labor in Kenya: a case control study.BMC microbiology · 2022Article
- Diversity of the gut, vaginal and oral microbiome among pregnant women in South Africa with and without pre-eclampsia.Frontiers in global women's health · 2022Article
- Ethnic Specificity of Species and Strain Composition ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe vaginal microbiota (VMB) are the set of microorganisms residing in the human vagina. During pregnancy, their composition is Lactobacillus-dominant in most Caucasian women. Previous studies suggest that the VMB of women with African ancestry is more likely to be non-Lactobacillus dominant (dysbiotic) compared to other populations, and possibly relate to the high incidence of pregnancy complications, such as preterm birth. This work reviewed the literature on VMB composition in pregnant women from sub-Saharan Africa.
methodsA search was conducted in PubMed and Embase databases following PRISMA guidelines. Observational and intervention studies analysing VMB communities from sub-Saharan African pregnant women using molecular techniques were included.
resultsTen studies performed in seven sub-Saharan African countries were identified. They independently showed that Lactobacillus-dominant VMB (particularly L. iners or L. crispatus) or VMB containing Lactobacilli are the most prevalent, followed by a more diverse anaerobe-dominant VMB, in the studied populations. The majority of pregnant women with a sexually-transmitted infection had a Lactobacillus-dominant VMB, but with a significantly higher presence of anaerobic species.
conclusionIn agreement with studies performed in other populations, Lactobacillus species are the most prevalent VMB species during pregnancy in sub-Saharan African women. The frequency of diverse anaerobe-dominant VMB is high in these populations. In Africa, studies on VMB in pregnancy are scant, heterogeneous in methodology, and knowledge remains limited. More insights on VMB composition and their possible sequalae among these populations is needed.
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