Altered microbiota in the female reproductive tract as a risk factor for failure of assisted reproductive technologies

Cover Page


Cite item

Full Text

Abstract

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are one of the most effective ways in fighting infertility, but their effectiveness is influenced by various factors. Our study focuses on examining importance of risk factors underlying ART failure related to altered microbiome pattern in the female reproductive system. The case-control study was based on conducting a laboratory examination of 129 infertile couples applied to the Department of Assisted Reproductive Technologies due to failure of in vitro fertilization (IVF), whereas control group consisted of females with successful progressive pregnancy after ART. Chlamydia, herpes virus and cytomegalovirus were assessed by using PCR and ELISA, whereas culture method was used to detect Trichomonas vaginalis in vaginal swabs and ejaculate applying Trichomonas Modified CPLM Medium (HiMedia, India) followed by microscopy. In addition, the qualitative and quantitative composition of the vaginal biocenosis was studied with multiplex RT-PCR by using Femoflor-16 kit (DNA-technologies, Russia). Serological tests were based on measuring IgG and IgA antibodies against Chlamydia trachomatis in ELISA (diagnostic kits purchased from Vektor Best, Russia; NovaTec, Germany; ImmunoComb, Israel) as well as antibodies against immediate early HSV-1/2 proteins (BioService, Russia) and immediate early HHV-5 proteins (Vector Best, Russia). C. trachomatis and herpesvirus DNA was measured by using PCR diagnostic kits Amplisens (Interlabservice, Russia). It was found that sexually transmitted infection agents were highly prevalent in infertile couples applying to the hospital for IVF. Significant factors for non-pregnancy were vaginal dysmicrobiocenosis (OR = 7.5 (95% CI 1.04—54.1), p = 0.02) and detected T. vaginalis (OR = 2.6 (95% CI 1.12—6.4), p = 0.01). Dysbiosis of the reproductive system, including those occurring due to trichomonas infection is associated with lowered ART effectiveness. It is evident to timely detect urogenital infections and dysbiosis while preparing infertile couples for IVF cycles.

About the authors

E A. Lebedeva

North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov; St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute

Email: doctorlebedeva@mail.ru

PhD Student, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Parasitology and Desinfectology, North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov; Junior Researcher, Laboratory of Medical Bacteriology, St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

S. V. Rishchuk

North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov

Email: s.rishchuk@mail.ru

PhD, MD (Medicine), Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology named after S.N. Davydov, NorthWestern State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

T. A. Dushenkova

North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov

Email: uzueva@mail.ru

PhD (Medicine), Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Health and Health Management, North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

A. S. Mokhov

North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov

Email: docalexserg@gmail.com

PhD Student, Department of Epidemiology, Parasitology and Desinfectology, North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

M. V. Desyatova

North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov

Email: milena-m-93@mail.ru

Student, North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

E. I. Ermolenko

Institute of Experimental Medicine; St. Petersburg State University

Email: lermolenko1@yandex.ru

PhD, MD (Medicine), Head of the Laboratory of Biomedical Microecology, Department of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine; Professor, Department of Physiology, St. Petersburg State University.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

G. F. Leontyeva

Institute of Experimental Medicine

Email: galeonte@yandex.ru

PhD (Biology), Senior Researche, Department of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

A. V. Svarval

St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute

Email: laborimmun@mail.ru

PhD (Medicine), Senior Researcher, Laboratory of Pathogenes Identification, St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

E. E. Shchederkina

St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute

Email: laborimmun@mail.ru

PhD (Medicine), Doctor of the Clinical and Laboratory Diagnostics, Department of Herpes-virus Infections Prevention and Diagnostics, St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

V. V. Kolodzhieva

North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov

Email: vika-el@yandex.ru

PhD (Medicine), Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Parasitology and Desinfectology, North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

L. Yu. Nilova

North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov

Email: Lyudmila.Nilova@szgmu.ru

PhD (Medicine), Associate Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology, North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

E. A. Orishak

North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov

Email: Elena.Orishak@szgmu.ru

PhD (Medicine), Associate Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology, North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov.

St. Petersburg.

Russian Federation

A. E. Goncharov

North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov; Institute of Experimental Medicine; St. Petersburg State University

Author for correspondence.
Email: phage1@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5206-6656

Artemiy E. Goncharov - PhD, MD (Medicine), Associate Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Microorganisms Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Institute of Experimental Medicine; Professor Department of Epidemiology, Parasitology and Desinfectology, North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov; Associate Professor, Department of Fundamental Problems of Medicine and Medical Technologies, St. Petersburg State University.

197376, St. Petersburg, Kirochnaya str., 41.

Phone: +7 (812) 303-50-00

Russian Federation

References

  1. Гинекология: национальное руководство / Под ред. В.И. Кулакова, И.Б. Манухина, Г.М. Савельевой. М.: ГЭОТАР-Медиа, 2007. 1072 с.
  2. Дмитриев Г.А., Глазко И.И. Бактериальный вагиноз. М.: БИНОМ, 2008. 192 с.
  3. Лебедева Е.А., Гончаров А.Е., Рищук С.В., Душенкова Т.А., Мохов А.С., Проскурякова Т.С., Киселев А.В. Факторы, влияющие на результативность вспомогательных репродуктивных технологий в медицинских организациях Санкт-Петербурга // Фундаментальная и клиническая медицина. 2020. Т. 5, № 1. С. 46-51. doi: 10.23946/2500-0764-2020-5-1-46-51
  4. Рищук С.В., Душенкова Т.А. Оптимизация диагностики репродуктивно значимых инфекций у половых пар // TERRA MEDICA. 2013. № 4. С. 20-33.
  5. Donders G.G., Van Calsteren K., Bellen G., Reybrouck R., Van den Bosch T., Riphagen I., Van Lierde S. Predictive value for preterm birth of abnormal vaginal flora, bacterial vaginosis and aerobic vaginitis during the first trimester of pregnancy. BJOG, 2009, vol. 116, no. 10,pp. 1315-1324. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02237.x
  6. Datcu R., Gesink D., Mulvad G., Montgomery-Andersen R., Rink E., Koch A., Ahrens P., Jensen J.S. Vaginal microbiome in women from Greenland assessed by microscopy and quantitative PCR. BMC Infect Dis., 2013, vol. 13: 480. doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-13-480
  7. Joyner J.L., Douglas J.M. Jr., Foster M., Judson F.N. Persistence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection detected by polymerase chain reaction in untreated patients. Sex Transm. Dis., 2002, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 196—200. doi: 10.1097/00007435-200204000-00002
  8. Kitaya K., Nagai Y., Arai W., Sakuraba Y., Ishikawa T. Characterization of microbiota in endometrial fluid and vaginal secretions in infertile women with repeated implantation failure. Mediators Inflamm., 2019, vol. 2019: 4893437. doi: 10.1155/2019/489343
  9. Ling Z., Kong J., Liu F., Zhu H., Chen X., Wang Y., Li L., E Nelson K., Xia Y., Xiang C. Molecular analysis of the diversity of vaginal microbiota associated with bacterial vaginosis. BMC Genomics, 2010, vol. 11: 488. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-11-488
  10. Van de Wijgert J.H., Borgdorff H., Verhelst R., Crucitti T., Francis S., Verstraelen H., Jespers V. The vaginal microbiota: what have we learned after a decade of molecular characterization? PLoS One, 2014, vol. 9, no. 8: e105998. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105998
  11. WHO. The European health report 2015. Targets and beyond — reaching new frontiers in evidence. Copenhagen: WHO, 2015. 18 p.

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download

Copyright (c) 2021 Lebedeva E.A., Rishchuk S.V., Dushenkova T.A., Mokhov A.S., Desyatova M.V., Ermolenko E.I., Leontyeva G.F., Svarval A.V., Shchederkina E.E., Kolodzhieva V.V., Nilova L.Y., Orishak E.A., Goncharov A.E.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).
Регистрационный номер и дата принятия решения о регистрации СМИ: серия ПИ № ФС 77 - 64788 от 02.02.2016.


This website uses cookies

You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.

About Cookies