Novel PCR-based methods enhance characterization of vaginal microbiota in a bacterial vaginosis patient before and after treatment

Abstract

Deep characterization, even by next-generation sequencing, of the vaginal microbiotain healthy women or posttreatment bacterial vaginosis patients is limited by the dominance of lactobacilli. To improve detection, we offer two approaches: quantitative PCR (qPCR)using phylogenetic branch-inclusive primers and sequencing of broad-spectrum amplicons generated with oligomers that block amplification of lactobacilli. © 2013, American Society for Microbiology.