Characterizing the uterine microbiome: next generation sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S ribosomal gene

Abstract

There is growing interest in the microbiome (MB) of the reproductive tract. The vaginal and placental MB have been partially characterized and shown to be related to obstetric outcomes. Given the large number of unexplained IVF failures, it is plausible that the MB of the uterus is impactful. However, to date the uterine MB is uncharacterized and difficult given the small fraction of microbes that can be cultured successfully. This has led to novel culture free approaches to bacterial genus detection which focus on sequencing of 16S ribosomal DNA.