{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,14]],"date-time":"2026-03-14T00:35:10Z","timestamp":1773448510850,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,1]],"date-time":"2022-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1640995200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Low Genit Tract Dis"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>This series of articles, titled The Vaginal Microbiome (VMB), written on behalf of the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease, aims to summarize the recent findings and understanding of the vaginal bacterial microbiota, mainly regarding areas relevant to clinicians specializing in vulvovaginal disorders.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Materials and Methods<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>A search of PubMed database was performed, using the search terms \u201cvaginal microbiome\u201d with \u201ctreatment,\u201d \u201cdiagnosis,\u201d and \u201cresearch.\u201d Full article texts were reviewed. Reference lists were screened for additional articles.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>The currently available approaches for treating vaginitis or attempting to modulate the VMB are often insufficient. It has traditionally relied on the use of antibiotics, antiseptics, and antifungals. The fifth and last article of this series discusses the new and\/or alternative therapeutic modalities. It addresses the role of probiotics, prebiotics and symbiotics, activated charcoal, biofilm disrupting agents, acidifying agents, phage therapy, and the concept of vaginal microbiome transplant. The challenges facing the research of VMB, including the clinical impact of microbiome manipulation, classification, and new diagnostic approaches are discussed.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Microbiome research has grown dramatically in recent years, motivated by innovations in technology and decrease in analysis costs. This research has yielded huge insight into the nature of microbial communities, their interactions, and effects with their hosts and other microbes. Further understanding of the bacterial, fungal, phage, and viral microbiomes in combination with host genetics, immunologic status, and environmental factors is needed to better understand and provide personalized medical diagnostics and interventions to improve women's health.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1097\/lgt.0000000000000647","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,20]],"date-time":"2021-12-20T17:02:53Z","timestamp":1640019773000},"page":"99-104","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":24,"title":["The Vaginal Microbiome: V. Therapeutic Modalities of Vaginal Microbiome Engineering and Research Challenges"],"prefix":"10.1097","volume":"26","author":[{"given":"Pedro","family":"Vieira-Baptista","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"De Seta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Hans","family":"Verstraelen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Gary","family":"Ventolini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Distinguish University Professor, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Permian Basin, Odessa, Texas, USA"}]},{"given":"Risa","family":"Lonnee-Hoffmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Ahinoam","family":"Lev-Sagie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"276","reference":[{"key":"bib1-20250524","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-31248-4_6","article-title":"Vaginal microbiota","volume":"902","year":"2016","journal-title":"Adv Exp Med Biol"},{"key":"bib2-20250524","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"287","DOI":"10.1111\/1471-0528.15870","article-title":"Lactobacilli-containing vaginal probiotics to cure or prevent bacterial or fungal vaginal dysbiosis: a systematic review and recommendations for future trial designs","volume":"127","year":"2020","journal-title":"BJOG"},{"key":"bib3-20250524","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.1097\/QCO.0000000000000620","article-title":"Host-vaginal microbiota interactions in the pathogenesis of bacterial vaginosis","volume":"33","year":"2020","journal-title":"Curr Opin Infect Dis"},{"key":"bib4-20250524","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"506","DOI":"10.1038\/nrgastro.2014.66","article-title":"Expert consensus document. 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