ArticleFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology2022
Longitudinal Changes in the Composition of the Penile Microbiome Are Associated With Circumcision Status, HIV and HSV-2 Status, Sexual Practices, and Female Partner Microbiome Composition.
Article in Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Microbiome and aging: Trajectories of microbiome age across human ecosystems and their systemic effects.iMeta · 2026Review
- HIV Transmission and Immunology of the Male Reproductive Tract.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026Review
- Does the evidence support circumcision of infant males in the United Kingdom?-a systematic review.Translational andrology and urology · 2026Review
- Article
- The impact of vasectomy on the seminal microbiome: possible implications and source of microbes.Human reproduction open · 2026Article
- Article
- Understanding the Associations of Urogenital Microbiomes With Fertility and In Vitro Fertilization.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2025Review
- Lower Semen Quality Among Men in the Modern Era-Is There a Role for Diet and the Microbiome?Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Partial normalization of microbiota dysbiosis in condyloma acuminatum patients following treatment.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- Sexual transmission of urogenital bacteria: whole metagenome sequencing evidence from a sexual network study.mSphere · 2024Article
- Insertive vaginal sex is associated with altered penile immunology and enrichment of Gardnerella vaginalis in uncircumcised Ugandan men.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Background: Penile microbiome composition has been associated with HSV-2 and HIV in men and with bacterial vaginosis (BV) and HSV-2 in female sex partners. This study sought to 1) characterize penile microbiome composition over a 1-year period and 2) identify factors associated with penile microbiome composition over time. Methods: This prospective study of community-recruited heterosexual couples in Kenya measured penile and vaginal microbiomes Results: Among 218 men with 740 observations, men had a median age of 26 years, 11.6% were living with HIV, and 46.1% were HSV-2 seropositive. We identified 7 penile community types that varied with circumcision status, female partner vaginal microbiome community state type (CST), condom use, and penile washing. Across varying analytic approaches, 50%-60% of men had stable penile microbiome compositions. Alpha diversity measures were lower for circumcised men and those who reported condom use; they were stable over time but higher if female partners had diverse CSTs or BV. BV was positively associated with the relative abundance of numerous individual penile taxa. The decreased Bray-Curtis similarity was more common for men with HSV-2, and HSV-2 was also associated with a lower relative abundance of Conclusions: Over a 1-year period, penile microbiome composition was stable for a substantial proportion of men and was influenced by men's circumcision status, sexual practices, female partner's vaginal CST and BV status, and men's HSV-2 status. In the female genital tract, a diverse CST is often associated with poorer health outcomes. Our results contribute toward understanding whether this framework extends to the penile microbiome and whether diversity and the associated penile microbiome compositions influence susceptibility or resilience to poorer health outcomes in men. Focusing on understanding how these factors influence the penile microbiome may lead to therapeutic avenues for reduced HSV-2 and BV infections in men and their female sex partners.
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