Characteristics of the Vaginal Microbiome and Their Relationship to Health and Disease

Abstract

The diversity of vaginal microbiota is significantly less than that of the gut microbiota and exhibits variations between different racial groups and among individuals. The vagina of healthy premenopausal women is mainly colonized by lactobacilli, which play a crucial role in female reproductive health. However, in recent years it has become clear that even though lactobacilli are the predominant bacteria, the rates of female reproductive tract diseases vary significantly depending on specific bacterial species. Furthermore, various factors that influence the vaginal microbiome have been reported. This section presents the latest research on the vaginal microbiome and its relationship to health and disease.