{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,21]],"date-time":"2026-08-21T13:26:01Z","timestamp":1787318761839,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,18]],"date-time":"2025-04-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744934400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Seoul R&amp;BC Program","award":["BT210114"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BT210114"]}]},{"name":"Seoul R&amp;BC Program","award":["RS-2023-00281006"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2023-00281006"]}]},{"name":"National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)","award":["BT210114"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BT210114"]}]},{"name":"National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)","award":["RS-2023-00281006"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2023-00281006"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Preterm birth (PTB), defined as delivery before 37 weeks of gestation, remains a significant public health concern due to its association with neonatal morbidity and mortality. Although studies have suggested that microbial factors in vaginal microbiota (VMB) influence PTB, longitudinal research on Korean women is limited. This study aimed to analyze VMB differences between term and preterm pregnancies in Korean women and their correlation with the cervical length (CL). Materials and Methods: A cohort of 60 pregnant Korean women (40 who had a term birth (TB) and 20 who had a PTB) was recruited. Vaginal samples were collected at five time points (first, second, and third trimester; 1\u20132 weeks postpartum; 1\u20132 months postpartum). Microbial DNA was extracted and analyzed using quantitative PCR targeting 12 bacterial species. The CL was measured in the second and third trimesters. Results: Lactobacillus crispatus was consistently dominant in the TB group, whereas PTB cases exhibited greater microbial diversity with elevated levels of Prevotella salivae and Ureaplasma species. The CL was significantly shorter in PTB cases, correlating with shifts in the VMB composition. Conclusions: A stable, Lactobacillus-dominant microbiome is protective in pregnancy, while increased diversity in PTB cases suggests microbial biomarkers for early risk prediction. Combining VMB profiling with CL measurement may enhance early, non-invasive PTB risk assessments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina61040752","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,18]],"date-time":"2025-04-18T08:24:07Z","timestamp":1744964647000},"page":"752","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["A Comparative Longitudinal Study Analyzing Vaginal Microbiota Differences Between Term and Preterm Pregnancies in Korean Women"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"61","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6830-317X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gina","family":"Nam","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul 06973, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3654-5670","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kyung A.","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Medical Center, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul 07804, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4066-172X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Soo Jung","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Medical Center, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul 07804, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kwan Young","family":"Oh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Eulji University Hospital, Daejeon 35233, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9731-780X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sunghee","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Daygen Inc., Seoul 06739, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hyun Chul","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center, D&P Biotech Inc., Seoul 05855, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"So Yoon","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center, D&P Biotech Inc., Seoul 05855, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mi Hye","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Medical Center, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul 07804, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"10","article-title":"Epidemiology and causes of preterm birth","volume":"75","author":"Goldenberg","year":"2008","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1261","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(23)00878-4","article-title":"National, regional, and global estimates of preterm birth in 2020, with trends from 2010: A systematic analysis","volume":"402","author":"Ohuma","year":"2023","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"787","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapediatrics.2022.1622","article-title":"Global, regional, and national incidence and mortality of neonatal preterm birth, 1990-2019","volume":"176","author":"Cao","year":"2022","journal-title":"JAMA Pediatr."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kim, H.J., Jo, M.-W., Bae, S.-H., Yoon, S.-J., and Lee, J.Y. 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