The Influence of the Vaginal Microbiome on the Prediction and Prevention of Preterm Birth

Spontaneous preterm labour that leads to preterm birth is known to be associated with vaginal dysbiosis, particularly bacterial vaginosis, and this may explain why progress has been slow in the last few decades. Bacterial vaginosis was considered enigmatic with unknown aetiology, difficulty in diagnosis, different response to treatment, be that persistence or recurrence, and different phenotypic outcomes.

A narrative review.

New information from the Human Microbiome Project using molecular-based, culture-independent technology has added important new knowledge to our understanding of vaginal eubiosis and dysbiosis. While this metagenomics are currently mainly research tools, we hope further studies will better elucidate the full profile of dysbiosis. This will hopefully aid the choice of antibiotic to suit each dysbiotic profile identified rather than for a single organism. By measuring abundance and diversity of the vaginal microbiome, we can develop molecular means of differentiating eubiosis and dysbiosis to predict preterm birth. We can also choose which antibiotic is appropriate for different dysbiotic subtypes, the local subtype of milieu created by that microbiota, the host response, and the phenotypical outcomes of which preterm birth is paramount. In addition, we can develop suitable probiotic species of lactic acid producing bacteria to aid in the prevention of preterm birth.