Reproductive Microbiomes: Using the Microbiome as a Novel Diagnostic Tool for Endometriosis

Melissa A. Cregger, K Lenz, Elizabeth Leary, Richard E. Leach, Asgerally T. Fazleabas, Bryan A. White, Andrea Braundmeier
In: Reproductive Immunology: Open Access · 2017 · vol. 02(03) · doi:10.21767/2476-1974.100036 · W2765997255
article OA: diamond CC0 ⤵ 13 in-corpus citations
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This study found that stage III endometriosis significantly alters the cervical bacterial community, increasing richness and diversity, suggesting bacterial profiling as a potential diagnostic tool.

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Abstract

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease which results in significant pain and long term reproductive consequences for up to 50% of infertile women. This study was focused to understand how endometriosis altered the uterine and cervical bacterial community. Methods and findings: Urogenital swabs and uterine washes were collected from 19 pre-menopausal women undergoing laparoscopic surgery for pelvic pain, suspected endometriosis (experimental n=10), and women undergoing laparoscopic surgery for benign ovarian/uterine conditions (control n=9). Patients were followed for the next year and repeat cervical swabs were obtained. Bacterial community composition was assessed from these samples using Illumina next generation 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Bacterial communities were significantly different between sample sites, the uterus and cervix, and stage III endometriosis resulted in significant alterations in the cervical bacterial community. Both bacterial richness and phylogenetic diversity increased in association with stage III endometriosis. Surgical intervention resulted in a stabilized cervical bacterial community for a short period of time. Conclusion: Bacterial community profiling may provide a useful diagnostic tool for identifying endometriosis in asymptomatic, infertile women in a clinical setting.

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endometriosis

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Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

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