{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T05:02:06Z","timestamp":1777438926381,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,22]],"date-time":"2022-11-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1669075200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Horizon Europe programme and Norte 2020","award":["NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000057"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000057"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The human body represents a complex and diverse reservoir of microorganisms. Although the human microbiome remains poorly characterized and understood, it should not be underestimated, since recent studies have highlighted its importance in health. This is especially evident when considering microbiota in the male reproductive system, responsible for men\u2019s fertility and sexual behavior. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of the microbial communities of the healthy male genital mucosa and its role in disease. This study was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search was limited to the English language and studies published until August 2022 that included culture-independent techniques for microbiome characterization in male genital mucosa. Ten articles were included. The bacterial composition of the male genital mucosa consists of several genera including Prevotella, Finegoldia,\u00a0Peptoniphilus, Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, and Anaerococcus, suggesting that the male genital microbiome composition shows similarities with the adjacent anatomical sites and is related with sexual intercourse. Moreover, male circumcision appears to influence the penile microbiome. Despite the lack of knowledge on the male genital mucosa microbiome in disease, it was reported that Staphylococcus warneri and Prevotella bivia were associated with balanoposthitis, whereas Enterobacteriaceae, Prevotella, and Fusobacterium were more abundant in male genital lichen sclerosus. The limited data and paucity of prospective controlled studies highlight the need for additional studies and established criteria for sampling methods and the microbiome assay procedure. Such a consensus would foster the knowledge about the composition of the genital microbiome of healthy males and its role in disease.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms10122312","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,23]],"date-time":"2022-11-23T02:55:51Z","timestamp":1669172151000},"page":"2312","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":23,"title":["Microbiome in Male Genital Mucosa (Prepuce, Glans, and Coronal Sulcus): A Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2295-3374","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Micael F. M.","family":"Gon\u00e7alves","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8963-7053","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u00c2ngela Rita","family":"Fernandes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ac\u00e1cio Gon\u00e7alves","family":"Rodrigues","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"CINTESIS\/RISE, Center for Health Technology and Services Research\/Rede de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Sa\u00fade, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8247-8902","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmen","family":"Lisboa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"CINTESIS\/RISE, Center for Health Technology and Services Research\/Rede de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Sa\u00fade, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Centro Hospitalar Universit\u00e1rio S\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,11,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1021\/acsinfecdis.7b00232","article-title":"The human microbiota, infectious disease, and global health: Challenges and opportunities","volume":"4","author":"Waldman","year":"2018","journal-title":"ACS Infect. 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