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

执行摘要 阴道微生物是病原微生物侵入和生长的主要屏障， 潜在的致病细菌和病毒。典型的主导阴道破裂 乳酸杆菌与许多生物医学上重要的疾病有关， 性传播感染（STI）。理解破坏生物多样性的机制 由于缺乏生理学相关的动物模型，阴道乳杆菌受到限制。 最近，我们发现我们可以在无菌环境中复制人类阴道微生物群落， 小鼠目前的申请寻求资金，以进一步开发和优化这一模型， 制定人体标本采集和保存的SOP。

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.