Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36289360›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2022

Screening and characterization of vaginal fluid donations for vaginal microbiota transplantation.

Laura J Yockey, Fatima Aysha Hussain, Agnes Bergerat, Alexandra Reissis, Daniel Worrall, Jiawu Xu, Isabella Gomez, Seth M Bloom, Nomfuneko A Mafunda, Julia Kelly and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
31citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.3field-weighted citation impact, top 4% 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

31 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Review
  4. Article
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  12. Human microbiome acquisition and transmission.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2025
    Review
  13. Microbiota effects and predictors ofmedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Bacterial vaginosis.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2025
    Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. The activity of cell-free supernatant ofFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025
    Article
  19. Review
  20. Review
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

12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Laura J Yockey *Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Fatima Aysha Hussain *Ragon Institute of MIT, MGH and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Agnes BergeratDepartment of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Alexandra ReissisRagon Institute of MIT, MGH and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Daniel WorrallRagon Institute of MIT, MGH and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Jiawu XuRagon Institute of MIT, MGH and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Isabella GomezRagon Institute of MIT, MGH and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Seth M BloomRagon Institute of MIT, MGH and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Nomfuneko A MafundaRagon Institute of MIT, MGH and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Julia KellyRagon Institute of MIT, MGH and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Douglas S KwonRagon Institute of MIT, MGH and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Caroline M MitchellRagon Institute of MIT, MGH and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA. caroline.mitchell@mgh.harvard.edu.
Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard · USMassachusetts General Hospital · USHarvard University · US

Funding

Multidisciplinary HIV Training ProgramT32AI007387 · NIAID · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI Daniel R. Kuritzkes · 1990 to 2026
$8.8M
Vaginal microbiota transplant to promote Lactobacillus-dominant cervicovaginal communitiesR01AI158836 · NIAID · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI Caroline M Mitchell · 2021 to 2026
$4.2M
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI158836NIAID NIH HHS T32 AI007387
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), the overgrowth of diverse anaerobic bacteria in the vagina, is the most common cause of vaginal symptoms worldwide. BV frequently recurs after antibiotic therapy, and the best probiotic treatments only result in transient changes from BV-associated states to "optimal" communities dominated by a single species of Lactobacillus. Therefore, additional treatment strategies are needed to durably alter vaginal microbiota composition for patients with BV. Vaginal microbiota transplantation (VMT), the transfer of vaginal fluid from a healthy person with an optimal vaginal microbiota to a recipient with BV, has been proposed as one such alternative. However, VMT carries potential risks, necessitating strict safety precautions. Here, we present an FDA-approved donor screening protocol and detailed methodology for donation collection, storage, screening, and analysis of VMT material. We find that Lactobacillus viability is maintained for over six months in donated material stored at - 80 °C without glycerol or other cryoprotectants. We further show that species-specific quantitative PCR for L. crispatus and L. iners can be used as a rapid initial screening strategy to identify potential donors with optimal vaginal microbiomes. Together, this work lays the foundation for designing safe, reproducible trials of VMT as a treatment for BV.

Indexed as

MicrobiotaVaginosis, BacterialAnti-Bacterial AgentsFemaleGlycerolHumansLactobacillusVaginaAnti-Bacterial AgentsGlycerol

Identifiers

PMID36289360
PMCPMC9606370
OpenAlexW4307290995

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.