Heterogeneity of Vaginal Microbial Communities within Individuals

doi:10.1128/JCM.00854-08

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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 2009, p. 1181-1189, Vol. 47, No. 4
0095-1137/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JCM.00854-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Heterogeneity of Vaginal Microbial Communities within Individuals ^,#

Tae Kyung Kim ,¹^,¶^, Susan M. Thomas,¹^,¶ Mengfei Ho,²^,¶ Shobha Sharma,¹^, Claudia I. Reich,² Jeremy A. Frank,² Kathleen M. Yeater,¹^, Diana R. Biggs,⁷ Noriko Nakamura,³ Rebecca Stumpf,¹^,5 Steven R. Leigh,¹^,5 Richard I. Tapping,¹^,2^,6 Steven R. Blanke,¹^,2 James M. Slauch,¹^,2^,6 H. Rex Gaskins,¹^,3^,4 Jon S. Weisbaum,⁶^,7^,8 Gary J. Olsen,¹^,2 Lois L. Hoyer,¹^,4 and Brenda A. Wilson¹^,2^*

Host-Microbe Systems Theme, Institute for Genomic Biology,¹ Department of Microbiology,² Department of Animal Sciences,³ Department of Pathobiology,⁴ Department of Anthropology,⁵ College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,⁶ Carle Clinic Association,⁷ Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, Illinois 61801⁸

Received 4 May 2008/ Returned for modification 29 July 2008/ Accepted 13 January 2009

Recent culture-independent studies have revealed that a healthyvaginal ecosystem harbors a surprisingly complex assemblageof microorganisms. However, the spatial distribution and compositionof vaginal microbial populations have not been investigatedusing molecular methods. Here, we evaluated site-specific microbialcomposition within the vaginal ecosystem and examined the influenceof sampling technique in detection of the vaginal microbiota.16S rRNA gene clone libraries were prepared from samples obtainedfrom different locations (cervix, fornix, outer vaginal canal)and by different methods (swabbing, scraping, lavaging) fromthe vaginal tracts of eight clinically healthy, asymptomaticwomen. The data reveal that the vaginal microbiota is not homogenousthroughout the vaginal tract but differs significantly withinan individual with regard to anatomical site and sampling methodused. Thus, this study illuminates the complex structure ofthe vaginal ecosystem and calls for the consideration of microenvironmentswhen sampling vaginal microbiota as a clinical predictor ofvaginal health.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Host-Microbe Systems Theme, C3408/MC-195, Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801. Phone: (217) 244-9631. Fax: (217) 244-6697. E-mail: bawilson{at}life.illinois.edu

Published ahead of print on 21 January 2009.

^# Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://jcm.asm.org/.

^¶ These authors contributed equally to this work.

Present address: Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania,36th and Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Present address: National Center for Biotechnology Information,National Institutes of Health, 45 Center Drive, MSC 6510, Building45, Bethesda, MD 20892-6510.

Present address: USDA-ARS-SPA, 3810 4th Street, Lubbock, TX79415.

Heterogeneity of Vaginal Microbial Communities within Individuals ,#

Heterogeneity of Vaginal Microbial Communities within Individuals ^,#