{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,18]],"date-time":"2025-12-18T09:19:12Z","timestamp":1766049552444,"version":"3.37.3"},"reference-count":9,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"1","funder":[{"name":"DFID\/MRC\/Wellcome Trust Joint Global Health Trials Scheme as a Development Project","award":["grant reference MR\/M017443\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["grant reference MR\/M017443\/1"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Sex Transm Infect"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,7]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,2]]},"abstract":"Objectives<\/jats:title>To establish temporal links between vaginal microbiota (VMB) data and incident clinical events, frequent longitudinal vaginal sampling is required. Self-collection of swabs at the participant\u2019s home may be useful to avoid overburdening research clinics and participants. One-off vaginal self-sampling for STI or cervical cancer screening programmes has been shown to be feasible and acceptable to women in multiple studies, including in sub-Saharan Africa, but the feasibility and acceptability of frequent longitudinal vaginal sampling in the context of VMB sequencing studies is unknown.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Methods<\/jats:title>Twelve participants of a randomised clinical trial in Kigali, Rwanda, self-collected vaginal swabs three times a week for a month. We studied feasibility by comparing DNA concentrations, proportions of samples with >1000 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing reads and VMB composition outcomes of self-collected swabs with clinician-collected swabs. We evaluated the acceptability of self-collection using structured face-to-face interviews and a focus group discussion.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Results<\/jats:title>The participants collected vaginal swabs at 131 different time points. One woman stopped self-sampling after one try due to a social harm. All self-sampled swabs generated >1000\u2009rRNA amplicon sequencing reads, and the DNA concentration of self-sampled swabs and clinician-sampled swabs did not differ significantly (Kruskal-Wallis p=0.484). Self-sampled and clinician-sampled swabs generated similar VMB composition data. Participants reported feeling very comfortable during self-sampling (11\/12; 91.7%) and that self-sampling had become easier over time (12\/12; 100%). They mentioned reduced travel time and travel costs as advantages of self-sampling at home.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Conclusions<\/jats:title>Frequent longitudinal vaginal sampling at home is feasible and acceptable to participants, even in the context of a low-resource setting, as long as adequate counselling is provided.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Trial registration number<\/jats:title>NCT02459665<\/jats:ext-link>.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2020-054816","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,29]],"date-time":"2021-01-29T18:21:59Z","timestamp":1611944519000},"page":"58-61","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Feasibility and acceptability of frequent vaginal self-sampling at home by Rwandan women at high risk of urogenital tract infections"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"98","clinical-trial-number":[{"clinical-trial-number":"nct02459665","registry":"10.18810\/clinical-trials-gov"}],"author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7745-5148","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marijn C","family":"Verwijs","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stephen","family":"Agaba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marie-Michele","family":"Umulisa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Janneke H H M","family":"van de Wijgert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"2024092104001277000_98.1.58.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0105998"},{"key":"2024092104001277000_98.1.58.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.annepidem.2016.03.004"},{"key":"2024092104001277000_98.1.58.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-020-60671-6"},{"key":"2024092104001277000_98.1.58.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/OLQ.0b013e31828e5aa5"},{"key":"2024092104001277000_98.1.58.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejca.2015.07.006"},{"key":"2024092104001277000_98.1.58.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcv.2015.09.016"},{"key":"2024092104001277000_98.1.58.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcv.2016.06.016"},{"key":"2024092104001277000_98.1.58.8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0207714"},{"key":"2024092104001277000_98.1.58.9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/OLQ.0000000000000778"}],"container-title":["Sexually Transmitted Infections"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/sextrans-2020-054816","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,21]],"date-time":"2024-09-21T11:01:19Z","timestamp":1726916479000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/sti.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/sextrans-2020-054816"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,29]]},"references-count":9,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,17]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,2]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/sextrans-2020-054816"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/sextrans-2020-054816","relation":{},"ISSN":["1368-4973","1472-3263"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"1368-4973"},{"type":"electronic","value":"1472-3263"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,29]]}}}