Factors Associated with Vaginal <i>Lactobacillus</i> Predominance Among African American Women Early in Pregnancy

Wright, Michelle L.; Dunlop, Anne L.; Dunn, Alexis; Mitchell, Rebecca; Wissel, Emily F.; Corwin, Elizabeth J.

doi:10.1089/jwh.2021.0148

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Factors that tend to affect levels of Lactobacillus in the vaginal microbiome and subsequent eubiosis or dysbiosis include: transmission of microorganisms through maternal inoculum, sexual activity, and cohabitation; host factors such as genetics and hormone levels; and behavioral factors such as substance use, diet, vaginal hygiene practices, antibiotic use, and hormonal contraceptive use ( 14 – 16 ). The vaginal microbiome composition is also dependent on age, and women can transition between CST states over their lifespans ( 2 , 8 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Joint effects of individual socioeconomic status and residential neighborhood context on vaginal microbiome composition

Dixon

Dunlop

Corwin

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionThe vaginal microbiome is a dynamic ecosystem that is important for women's health. Its composition has been associated with risk for menopausal symptoms, sexually transmitted infections, gynecologic cancer, and preterm birth. Conventional risk factors for a vaginal microbiome linked with these adverse health outcomes include sexual behaviors, hygiene practices, individual social factors, and stress levels. However, there has been limited research on socio-contextual determinants, and whether neighborhood context modifies the association with individual socioeconomic factors.MethodsSocioeconomically diverse pregnant African American women in Atlanta, Georgia (n = 439) provided residential addresses and first trimester vaginal swab samples, which underwent sequencing, taxonomic classification, and assignment into mutually exclusive CST (community state types) via hierarchical clustering. Linear probability models were used to estimate prevalence differences (PD) for the associations of neighborhood factors with vaginal microbiome CST and to evaluate for additive interaction with maternal level of education, health insurance type, and recruitment hospital.ResultsFactors such as higher (vs. lower) maternal education, private (vs. public) insurance, and private (vs. public) hospital were associated with higher prevalence of Lactobacillus-dominant vaginal microbiome CSTs typically associated with better health outcomes. When considering the joint effects of these individual socioeconomic status and residential neighborhood factors on vaginal microbiome CST, most combinations showed a greater than additive effect among the doubly exposed; however, in the case of local income homogeneity and local racial homogeneity, there was evidence of a crossover effect between those with less-advantaged individual socioeconomic status and those with more-advantaged individual socioeconomic status. Compared to women at the public hospital who lived in economically diverse neighborhoods, women at the private hospital who lived in economically diverse neighborhoods had a 21.9% higher prevalence of Lactobacillus-dominant CSTs, while women at the private hospital who lived in less economically diverse neighborhoods (the doubly exposed) had only an 11.7% higher prevalence of Lactobacillus-dominant CSTs, showing a crossover effect (interaction term p-value = 0.004).DiscussionIn this study, aspects of residential neighborhood context were experienced differently by women on the basis of their individual resources, and the joint effects of these exposures on vaginal microbiome CST showed a departure from simple additivity for some factors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Joint effects of individual socioeconomic status and residential neighborhood context on vaginal microbiome composition

Dixon

Dunlop

Corwin

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

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“…Several studies similarly tie in socioeconomic factors and Lactobacillus predominance, particularly among Black pregnant women. 19,[69][70][71] Briefly, Lactobacillus dominance was associated with avoiding marijuana use, 70 cohabitating with a sexual partner, 70 education level, 69,71 private (vs public) insurance 69 and private (vs public) hospital use. 69 In some studies, lower maternal education status was independently associated with diversity of the vaginal microbiome (over other factors such as prenatal insurance, marital status or antibiotic use) 72 and BV acquisition.…”

Section: Approaching Microbiome Research Through a Lens Of Structural...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural Racism and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Through the Lens of the Maternal Microbiome

Hadley,

Oppong,

Coleman

et al. 2023

Obstetrics &Amp; Gynecology

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Microbiome science offers a glimpse into personalized medicine by characterizing health and disease states according to an individual's microbial signatures. Without a critical examination of the use of race as a variable, microbiome studies may be susceptible to the same pitfalls as other areas of science grounded in racist biology. We will examine the use of race as a biological variable in pregnancy-related microbiome research. Emerging data from studies that investigate the intestinal microbiome in pregnancy suggest strong influence of a poor diet on adverse pregnancy outcomes. Differences in the vaginal microbiome implicated in adverse pregnancy outcomes are frequently attributed to race. We review evidence that links systemic racism to pregnancy health outcome differences with a focus on the vaginal and intestinal microbiomes as well as diet. We also review how structural racism ultimately contributes to inequitable access to healthy food and higher risk environmental exposures among pregnant people of lower socioeconomic status and exacerbates common pregnancy comorbidities.

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“…The limited data available, however, suggest that cannabis consumption may be associated with alterations to mucosal microbial profiles [ 19 ]; the development of a diverse non- Lactobacillus -predominant vaginal microbiota [ 20 ]; an altered oral microbiome with an enhanced Streptococcus and Actinomyces and depressed Neisseria content [ 21 ]; risk of sexually transmitted disease in men [ 22 ]; seropositivity for hepatitis C virus [ 23 ]; and increased risk of fungal infections [ 24 ]. Moreover, Johnson et al have recently reported that environmental exposure to cannabis smoke in children increases the likelihood of viral respiratory diseases [ 25 ].…”

Section: The Antimicrobial Properties Of Cannabis and Cannabis-derive...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Antimicrobial Properties of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds and Relevance to CB2-Targeted Neurodegenerative Therapeutics

et al. 2022

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Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) is of interest as a much-needed target for the treatment or prevention of several neurogenerative diseases. However, CB2 agonists, particularly phytocannabinoids, have been ascribed antimicrobial properties and are associated with the induction of microbiome compositional fluxes. When developing novel CB2 therapeutics, CB2 engagement and antimicrobial functions should both be considered. This review summarizes those cannabinoids and cannabis-informed molecules and preparations (CIMPs) that show promise as microbicidal agents, with a particular focus on the most recent developments. CIMP–microbe interactions and anti-microbial mechanisms are discussed, while the major knowledge gaps and barriers to translation are presented. Further research into CIMPs may proffer novel direct or adjunctive strategies to augment the currently available antimicrobial armory. The clinical promise of CIMPs as antimicrobials, however, remains unrealized. Nevertheless, the microbicidal effects ascribed to several CB2 receptor-agonists should be considered when designing therapeutic approaches for neurocognitive and other disorders, particularly in cases where such regimens are to be long-term. To this end, the potential development of CB2 agonists lacking antimicrobial properties is also discussed.

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Factors Associated with Vaginal Lactobacillus Predominance Among African American Women Early in Pregnancy

Cited by 5 publications

References 40 publications

Joint effects of individual socioeconomic status and residential neighborhood context on vaginal microbiome composition

Joint effects of individual socioeconomic status and residential neighborhood context on vaginal microbiome composition

Structural Racism and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Through the Lens of the Maternal Microbiome

The Antimicrobial Properties of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds and Relevance to CB2-Targeted Neurodegenerative Therapeutics

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