Comparison of the Vaginal Microbiota in Postmenopausal Black and White Women

Abstract

Background: We compared vaginal microbial communities in postmenopausal black and white women.

Methods: Shotgun sequencing of vaginal swabs from postmenopausal women self-identified as black or white was compared using MiRKAT.

Results: Vaginal community dominance by Lactobacillus crispatus or Lactobacillusgasseri was more common in 44 postmenopausal black women (n = 12, 27%) than among 44 matched white women (n = 2, 5%; P = .01). No individual taxa were significantly more abundant in either group.

Conclusions: We identified small overall differences in vaginal microbial communities of black and white postmenopausal women. L. crispatus dominance was more common in black women.

Clinical trials registration: NCT02516202 (MsFLASH05) and NCT01418209 (MsFLASH03).

Keywords: Lactobacillus; postmenopausal; race; vaginal microbiome.