Predominance of Atopobium vaginae at Midtrimester: a Potential Indicator of Preterm Birth Risk in a Nigerian CohortOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Researchers examined the vaginal microbiome and steroid hormones of healthy midtrimester pregnant women in Nigeria, a country with the third highest preterm birth rate globally, to identify markers of preterm birth risk.
How was it studied?
Vaginal swabs and blood were prospectively collected mid-pregnancy. The V3 to V5 region of 16S rRNA genes profiled the vaginal microbiome, PICRUSt imputed functional metabolic traits, and ELISA quantified plasma estradiol and progesterone.
What did they find?
Women who later delivered preterm showed higher microbial richness, greater diversity, and fewer lactobacilli, with vaginal communities dominated by Atopobium vaginae. High midtrimester Atopobium vaginae abundance predicted preterm birth with an AUROC of 0.983. Plasma estradiol and progesterone ranges overlapped substantially between term and preterm groups.
Why it matters
This is the first vaginal microbiome study of pregnancy in Nigeria and points to Atopobium vaginae as a population-specific early marker of preterm birth risk, supporting population-tailored screening and intervention strategies.