Thebacteria populationwhatlives in the female vaginaexperimentcontinuous changes, both in type and abundance of microorganisms, according to US research published this week in the journalScience Translational Medicine.
Non-pathogenic bacteria in the human body form the microbiome, considered “one more organ”, which is structured in populations and has specific functions. For example, the intestinal flora actively contributes to digestion. Previously, several studies had already revealed that there are five types of vaginal microbial communities. The new finding also indicates that these can vary in each woman over time. With this data you canimprove the diagnosis of common infections, such as bacterial vaginosis, and reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics.
The research, led by Pawel Gajer, a researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (USA), has analyzed the vaginal microbiome of 32 black and white women of reproductive age over a 16-week period to determine the stability of their bacterial populations. .
The scientific comment that accompanies the study, as echoed by the SINC agency, assures thatthe complexity of the human vagina means that its microbiome “changes in short periods of time, is different from one person to another and varies in response to sexual intercourse”. These results suggest that the risk of infection and contraction of diseases in a woman can vary greatly over the years.
