The term ‘microbiome’ has been used to describe communities of both good and bad microorganisms that exist throughout the human body. Recently, research on the vaginal microbiome has elucidated certain roles of microbial communities on reproductive and maternal health and disease. Adverse maternal and fetal health outcomes such as preterm births (PTBs), bacterial vaginosis (BV), and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been linked to the vaginal microbiome (Jones, Hannah E et al). A better understanding of the mechanisms by which vaginal microbes interact with the female reproductive system will better inform future steps towards more effective drug targets and therapies.

In the present research, we evaluated bacterial trafficking throughout the female reproductive systems in a mouse model. Specifically, we examined three bacterial groups, Gardnerella vaginalis (G. vaginalis), Mobiluncus mulieris (M. mulieris), and Lactobacillus crispatus (L. crispatus) in cervical and vaginal samples after intravaginal administration. Tissue staining and RT-PCR were used to characterize and quantify bacterial populations in cervical and vaginal tissues, respectively.

We were successful in developing a protocol for FISH staining of bacteria in fixed tissue samples. The presence of bacteria was validated with RT-PCR. The results may help to reveal dysregulations in bacterial populations, which may have implications for fetal and maternal health outcomes. These refined methods and protocols will be useful for future tissue characterizations and vaginal microbiome studies. In Fall 2022, I will expand upon this foundation to stain and image bacterial extracellular vesicles (bEVs) and their hypothesized effects on the female reproductive tract.