Insights into fungal diversity and dynamics of vaginal mycobiota.

Abstract

Although less studied than its bacterial counterpart, the fungal component of the vaginal microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining vaginal homeostasis. Most research on the composition of the vaginal mycobiota has focused on pathological conditions, with relatively few studies involving healthy women. To gain comprehensive insights into the vaginal mycobiota of Algerian women in two different age groups, we performed a targeted metagenomic analysis using ITS2 region sequencing data from 14 vaginal samples collected from healthy women in reproductive and postmenopausal stages. A single dominant fungal species per individual was observed in both young and postmenopausal women, with differences in fungal community composition between the two groups being related to hormone levels. Our results show that Candida and Saccharomyces were the dominant genera in both young and postmenopausal women. Notably, the postmenopausal group had twice as many species, along with the presence of uncommon taxa such as Dipodascus and Fusarium, indicating greater taxonomic diversity. These findings suggest that menopause is associated with increased microbial variability, likely due to hormonal changes that disrupt the vaginal environment. This study paves the way for more extensive analyses involving diverse age groups and ethnic backgrounds.