Optimization of a murine model of the human vaginal microbiome: A much needed tool for understanding the connections between vaginal microbes and host health

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Executive Summary Vaginal microbes present the primary barrier to the invasion and outgrowth of pathogenic and potentially pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Disruptions of the typically dominant vaginal lactobacilli are associated with numerous biomedically important diseases, and increased risks of sexually transmitted infections (STI). Understanding the mechanism(s) underpinning disruption of vaginal lactobacilli has been limited due to the lack of a physiologically relevant animal model. Recently, we found that we can replicate human vaginal microbial communities within germ free mice. The current application seeks funding to further develop and optimize this model, and produce SOP for the collection and storage of human specimens.