392: The vaginal microbiome of preterm birth

Abstract

The association between vaginal infections and preterm birth (PTB) is well established. Yet antimicrobial therapy does not reduce the risk for PTB. Prior studies using molecular-based sequencing demonstrated significantly decreased vaginal microbiome community richness compared to the non-pregnant vaginal microbiome. It is not known whether changes in the vaginal microbiome are associated with adverse obstetric outcomes. We hypothesize that the vaginal microbiome of women with PTB birth differs from that of women who deliver at term.