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Amaral WZ, Lubach GR, Kapoor A, Proctor A, Phillips GJ, Lyte M, Coe CL. Low Lactobacilli abundance and polymicrobial diversity in the lower reproductive tract of female rhesus monkeys do not compromise their reproductive success. Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [PMID: 28898440 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Revised: 06/15/2017] [Accepted: 08/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The lower reproductive tract of nonhuman primates is colonized with a diverse microbiota, resembling bacterial vaginosis (BV), a gynecological condition associated with negative reproductive outcomes in women. Our 4 aims were to: (i) assess the prevalence of low Lactobacilli and a BV-like profile in female rhesus monkeys; (ii) quantify cytokines in their cervicovaginal fluid (CVF); (iii) examine the composition and structure of their mucosal microbiota with culture-independent sequencing methods; and (iv) evaluate the potential influence on reproductive success. CVF specimens were obtained from 27 female rhesus monkeys for Gram's staining, and to determine acidity (pH), and quantify proinflammatory cytokines. Based on Nugent's classification, 40% had a score of 7 or higher, which would be indicative of BV in women. Nugent scores were significantly correlated with the pH of the CVF. Interleukin-1ß was present at high concentrations, but not further elevated by high Nugent scores. Vaginal swabs were obtained from eight additional females to determine microbial diversity by rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. At the phylum level, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was low. The relative abundance of Lactobacilli was also low (between 3% and 17%), and 11 other genera were present at >1%. However, neither the microbial diversity in the community structure, nor high Nugent scores, was associated with reduced fecundity. Female monkeys provide an opportunity to understand how reproductive success can be sustained in the presence of a diverse polymicrobial community in the reproductive tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wellington Z Amaral
- Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Gabriele R Lubach
- Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Amita Kapoor
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, Wisconsin
| | | | | | - Mark Lyte
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
| | - Christopher L Coe
- Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
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Miller EA, Livermore JA, Alberts SC, Tung J, Archie EA. Ovarian cycling and reproductive state shape the vaginal microbiota in wild baboons. MICROBIOME 2017; 5:8. [PMID: 28103920 PMCID: PMC5248513 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-017-0228-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The vaginal microbiome is an important site of bacterial-mammalian symbiosis. This symbiosis is currently best characterized for humans, where lactobacilli dominate the microbial community and may help defend women against infectious disease. However, lactobacilli do not dominate the vaginal microbiota of any other mammal studied to date, raising key questions about the forces that shape the vaginal microbiome in non-human mammals. RESULTS We used Illumina sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to investigate variation in the taxonomic composition of the vaginal microbiota in 48 baboons (Papio cynocephalus), members of a well-studied wild population in Kenya. Similar to prior studies, we found that the baboon vaginal microbiota was not dominated by lactobacilli. Despite this difference, and similar to humans, reproductive state was the dominant predictor of baboon vaginal microbiota, with pregnancy, postpartum amenorrhea, and ovarian cycling explaining 18% of the variance in community composition. Furthermore, among cycling females, a striking 39% of variance in community composition was explained by ovarian cycle phase, with an especially distinctive microbial community around ovulation. Periovulatory females exhibited the highest relative abundance of lactic acid-producing bacteria compared to any other phase, with a mean relative abundance of 44%. To a lesser extent, sexual behavior, especially a history of shared sexual partners, also predicted vaginal microbial similarity between baboons. CONCLUSIONS Despite striking differences in their dominant microbes, both human and baboon vaginal microbiota exhibit profound changes in composition in response to reproductive state, ovarian cycle phase, and sexual behavior. We found major shifts in composition during ovulation, which may have implications for disease risk and conception success. These findings highlight the need for future studies to account for fine-scale differences in reproductive state, particularly differences between the various phases of the ovarian cycle. Overall, our work contributes to an emerging understanding of the forces that explain intra- and inter-individual variation in the mammalian vaginal microbiome, with particular emphasis on its role in host health and disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Miller
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
| | - Joshua A Livermore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
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Schlabritz-Loutsevitch N, Gygax SE, Dick E, Smith WL, Snider C, Hubbard G, Ventolini G. Vaginal Dysbiosis from an Evolutionary Perspective. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26817. [PMID: 27226349 PMCID: PMC4880931 DOI: 10.1038/srep26817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary approaches are powerful tools for understanding human disorders. The composition of vaginal microbiome is important for reproductive success and has not yet been characterized in the contexts of social structure and vaginal pathology in non-human primates (NHPs). We investigated vaginal size, vulvovaginal pathology and the presence of the main human subtypes of Lactobacillus spp./ BV-related species in the vaginal microflora of baboons (Papio spp.). We performed morphometric measurements of external and internal genitalia (group I, n = 47), analyzed pathology records of animals from 1999–2015 (group II, n = 64 from a total of 12,776), and evaluated vaginal swabs using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (group III, n = 14). A total of 68 lesions were identified in 64 baboons. Lactobacillus iners, Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae, Megasphaera I, and Megasphaera II were not detected. L. jensenii, L. crispatus, and L. gasseri were detected in 2/14 (14.2%), 1/14 (7.1%), and 1/14 (7.1%) samples, respectively. BVAB2 was detected in 5/14 (35.7%) samples. The differences in the vaginal milieu between NHP and humans might be the factor associated with human-specific pattern of placental development and should be taken in consideration in NHP models of human pharmacology and microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Scott E Gygax
- Femeris Women's Health Research Center, Genesis Biotechnology Group - Hamilton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Edward Dick
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - William L Smith
- Femeris Women's Health Research Center, Genesis Biotechnology Group - Hamilton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Cathy Snider
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Gene Hubbard
- University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Gary Ventolini
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at the Permian Basin, Odessa, Texas, USA
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Lagenaur LA, Swedek I, Lee PP, Parks TP. Robust vaginal colonization of macaques with a novel vaginally disintegrating tablet containing a live biotherapeutic product to prevent HIV infection in women. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0122730. [PMID: 25875100 PMCID: PMC4397015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
MucoCept is a biotherapeutic for prevention of HIV-1 infection in women and contains a human, vaginal Lactobacillus jensenii that has been genetically enhanced to express the HIV-1 entry inhibitor, modified cyanovirin-N (mCV-N). The objective of this study was to develop a solid vaginal dosage form that supports sustained vaginal colonization of the MucoCept Lactobacillus at levels previously shown, with freshly prepared cultures, to protect macaques from SHIV infection and to test this formulation in a macaque vaginal colonization model. Vaginally disintegrating tablets were prepared by lyophilizing the formulated bacteria in tablet-shaped molds, then packaging in foil pouches with desiccant. Disintegration time, potency and stability of the tablets were assessed. For colonization, non-synchronized macaques were dosed vaginally with either one tablet or five tablets delivered over five days. Vaginal samples were obtained at three, 14, and 21 days post-dosing and cultured to determine Lactobacillus colonization levels. To confirm identity of the MucoCept Lactobacillus strain, genomic DNA was extracted from samples on days 14 and 21 and a strain-specific PCR was performed. Supernatants from bacteria were tested for the presence of the mCV-N protein by Western blot. The tablets were easy to handle, disintegrated within two minutes, potent (5.7x1011 CFU/g), and stable at 4°C and 25°C. Vaginal administration of the tablets to macaques resulted in colonization of the MucoCept Lactobacillus in 66% of macaques at 14 days post-dosing and 83% after 21 days. There was no significant difference in colonization levels for the one or five tablet dosing regimens (p=0.88 Day 14, p=0.99 Day 21). Strain-specific PCR confirmed the presence of the bacteria even in culture-negative macaques. Finally, the presence of mCV-N protein was confirmed by Western blot analysis using a specific anti-mCV-N antibody.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel A. Lagenaur
- Osel, Inc., Mountain View, California, United States of America
- Vaccine Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Iwona Swedek
- Osel, Inc., Mountain View, California, United States of America
| | - Peter P. Lee
- Osel, Inc., Mountain View, California, United States of America
| | - Thomas P. Parks
- Osel, Inc., Mountain View, California, United States of America
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Hu KT, Zheng JX, Yu ZJ, Chen Z, Cheng H, Pan WG, Yang WZ, Wang HY, Deng QW, Zeng ZM. Directed shift of vaginal microbiota induced by vaginal application of sucrose gel in rhesus macaques. Int J Infect Dis 2014; 33:32-6. [PMID: 25546169 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2014.12.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2014] [Revised: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Sucrose gel was used to treat bacterial vaginosis in a phase III clinical trial. However, the changes of vaginal flora after treatment were only examined by Nugent score in that clinical trial, While the vaginal microbiota of rhesus macaques is characterized by anaerobic, Gram-negative bacteria, few lactobacilli, and pH levels above 4.6, similar to the microbiota of patients with bacterial vaginosis. This study is aimed to investigate the change of the vaginal microbiota of rehsus macaques after topical use of sucrose gel to reveal more precisely the bacterial population shift after the topical application of sucrose gel. METHODS Sixteen rhesus macaques were treated with 0.5 g sucrose gel vaginally and three with 0.5 g of placebo gel. Vaginal swabs were collected daily following treatment. Vaginal pH levels and Nugent scores were recorded. The composition of the vaginal micotbiota was tested by V3∼V4 16S rDNA metagenomic sequencing. Dynamic changes in the Lactobacillus genus were analyzed by qPCR. RESULTS The vaginal microbiota of rhesus macaques are dominated by anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria, with few lactobacilli and high pH levels above 4.6. After five days' treatment with topical sucrose gel, the component percentage of Lactobacillus in vaginal microbiota increased from 1.31% to 81.59%, while the component percentage of Porphyromonas decreased from 18.60% to 0.43%, Sneathia decreased from 15.09% to 0.89%, Mobiluncus decreased from 8.23% to 0.12%, etc.. The average vaginal pH values of 16 rhesus macaques of the sucrose gel group decreased from 5.4 to 3.89. There were no significant changes in microbiota and vaginal pH observed in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS Rhesus macaques can be used as animal models of bacterial vaginosis to develop drugs and test treatment efficacy. Furthermore, the topical application of sucrose gel induced the shifting of vaginal flora of rhesus macaques from a BV kind of flora to a lactobacilli-dominating flora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-tao Hu
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen key lab for endogenous infection, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Guangdong Medical College. No 89, Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen 518052, China
| | - Jin-xin Zheng
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen key lab for endogenous infection, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Guangdong Medical College. No 89, Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen 518052, China
| | - Zhi-jian Yu
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen key lab for endogenous infection, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Guangdong Medical College. No 89, Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen 518052, China
| | - Zhong Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen key lab for endogenous infection, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Guangdong Medical College. No 89, Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen 518052, China
| | - Hang Cheng
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen key lab for endogenous infection, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Guangdong Medical College. No 89, Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen 518052, China
| | - Wei-guang Pan
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen key lab for endogenous infection, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Guangdong Medical College. No 89, Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen 518052, China
| | - Wei-zhi Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen key lab for endogenous infection, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Guangdong Medical College. No 89, Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen 518052, China
| | - Hong-yan Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen key lab for endogenous infection, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Guangdong Medical College. No 89, Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen 518052, China
| | - Qi-wen Deng
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen key lab for endogenous infection, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Guangdong Medical College. No 89, Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen 518052, China
| | - Zhong-ming Zeng
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen key lab for endogenous infection, Shenzhen Nanshan Hospital, Guangdong Medical College. No 89, Taoyuan Road, Nanshan district, Shenzhen 518052, China.
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Primate vaginal microbiomes exhibit species specificity without universal Lactobacillus dominance. ISME JOURNAL 2014; 8:2431-44. [PMID: 25036926 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2014.90] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Revised: 04/12/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial communities colonizing the reproductive tracts of primates (including humans) impact the health, survival and fitness of the host, and thereby the evolution of the host species. Despite their importance, we currently have a poor understanding of primate microbiomes. The composition and structure of microbial communities vary considerably depending on the host and environmental factors. We conducted comparative analyses of the primate vaginal microbiome using pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA genes of a phylogenetically broad range of primates to test for factors affecting the diversity of primate vaginal ecosystems. The nine primate species included: humans (Homo sapiens), yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus), olive baboons (Papio anubis), lemurs (Propithecus diadema), howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra), red colobus (Piliocolobus rufomitratus), vervets (Chlorocebus aethiops), mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Our results indicated that all primates exhibited host-specific vaginal microbiota and that humans were distinct from other primates in both microbiome composition and diversity. In contrast to the gut microbiome, the vaginal microbiome showed limited congruence with host phylogeny, and neither captivity nor diet elicited substantial effects on the vaginal microbiomes of primates. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance and Wilcoxon tests revealed correlations among vaginal microbiota and host species-specific socioecological factors, particularly related to sexuality, including: female promiscuity, baculum length, gestation time, mating group size and neonatal birth weight. The proportion of unclassified taxa observed in nonhuman primate samples increased with phylogenetic distance from humans, indicative of the existence of previously unrecognized microbial taxa. These findings contribute to our understanding of host-microbe variation and coevolution, microbial biogeography, and disease risk, and have important implications for the use of animal models in studies of human sexual and reproductive diseases.
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In vivo evaluation of safety and toxicity of a Lactobacillus jensenii producing modified cyanovirin-N in a rhesus macaque vaginal challenge model. PLoS One 2013; 8:e78817. [PMID: 24265721 PMCID: PMC3827103 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2013] [Accepted: 09/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) across the cervicovaginal mucosa in women is influenced by many factors including the microbiota and the presence of underlying inflammation. It is important that potential HIV preventative agents do not alter the mucosal environment in a way that enhances HIV acquisition. We examined the impact of a "live" microbicide on the vaginal mucosal environment in a rhesus macaque repeated vaginal simian-HIV (SHIVSF162P3) challenge model. The microbicide contained a human vaginal Lactobacillus jensenii expressing the HIV-1 entry inhibitor, modified Cyanovirin-N (mCV-N), and henceforth called LB-mCV-N. Macaques were colonized vaginally each week with LB-mCV-N and sampled six days after colonization for culturable bacteria, pH and cervical-vaginal cytokines during the duration of the six-week study. We show that macaques that retained the engineered LB-mCV-N strain in their vaginal microbiota, during SHIV challenge, had lower pH, when colonization levels were higher, and had no evidence of inflammatory cytokines. Indeed, Interleukin-13, a mediator of inflammation, was detected less often in LB-mCV-N colonized macaques than in controls and we found higher levels of Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) in LB-mCV-N colonized macaques during the SHIV challenge period. We noted an inverse correlation between levels of mucosal IL-1RA and peak plasma viral load, thus higher IL-1RA correlated with lower viral load in LB-mCV-N treated macaques. These data support the use of LB-mCV-N as a safe "live" microbicide and suggest that lactobacilli themselves may positively impact the mucosal environment.
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