Influence des facteurs liés au mode de vie sur la composition du microbiote vaginal

Abstract

AbstractThe vaginal microbiota plays a crucial role in a women health, and serves as a defense barrier against vaginoses and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, data on this microbiota remain poorly documented, despite changes in the vaginal microbiote being a public vaginal modification constituting a public health concern. In this review, we investigated the impact of woman lifestyle or habits on the vaginal microbiota documented through metagenomic approaches. In this context, personal hygiene, sexual behaviors, hormonal contraception, smoking, alcohol consumption and psychosocial stress were analyzed. Lactobacillus played a key role, representing a first line of defense against pathogenic microorganisms. The imbalance of the microbiota with an increase in bacterial diversity and/or the rarefaction of Lactobacillus is a key factor in the progression towards vaginal infectious pathologies.We observed that hormonal contraception and personal hygiene increased the presence of Lactobacillus promoting stability in the vaginal microbiota while certain sexual behaviors, smoking, alcohol consumption, menstruation and psychosocial stress were associated with dysbiosis and an increased risk of bacterial vaginosis, STIs, and severe pelvic inflammatory diseases. Ethnicity represented a confounding factor in all studies, due to the unstable vaginal microbiota detected in some populations (african or afro-american). A better understanding of these factors influencing the vaginal microbiota is necessary for better women’s helath management.