Exploring connections between Gardnerella vaginalis diversity and preterm birth
Fall 2019 Graduate Student Award in Pathogenic and Commensal Organisms
The complex microbial communities, or microbiomes, inhabiting various body-sites can impact human health. For example, the vaginal microbiome has been associated with preterm birth. One species of bacteria, Gardnerella vaginalis, has been associated with preterm birth in predominantly Caucasian cohorts, but not among African American women. G. vaginalis exhibits a vast evolutionary diversity and sub-species variants may contribute differently to host health outcomes. We will assess whether one sub-species variant, which may be more prevalent among African American women, reduces the apparent association between G. vaginalis and preterm birth.
