1. Vaginal microbiome Lactobacillus crispatus is heritable among European American women.
- Author
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Wright ML, Fettweis JM, Eaves LJ, Silberg JL, Neale MC, Serrano MG, Jimenez NR, Prom-Wormley E, Girerd PH, Borzelleca JF Jr, Jefferson KK, Strauss JF 3rd, York TP, and Buck GA
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Virginia, Young Adult, Black or African American statistics & numerical data, Heredity, Lactobacillus crispatus physiology, Microbiota, Vagina microbiology, White People statistics & numerical data
- Abstract
The diversity and dominant bacterial taxa in the vagina are reported to be influenced by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including but not limited to pregnancy, contraceptive use, pathogenic states, socioeconomic status, and ancestry. However, the extent to which host genetic factors influence variation in the vaginal microbiota is unclear. We used a biometrical genetic approach to determine whether host genetic factors contribute to inter-individual differences in taxa from a sample of 332 twins who self-identified as being of African (44 pairs) or European ancestry (122 pairs). Lactobacillus crispatus, a major determinant of vaginal health, was identified as heritable among European American women (narrow-sense heritability = 34.7%, P-value = 0.018). Heritability of L. crispatus is consistent with the reduced prevalence of adverse reproductive disorders, including bacterial vaginosis and preterm birth, among women of European ancestry., (© 2021. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2021
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