Adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 diabetes are associated with multiple alterations in the vaginal microbiome
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(Published version)
Date
2025
Authors
Roth-Schulze, A.J.
Bandala-Sanchez, E.
Ngui, K.M.
Naselli, G.
Oakey, H.
Ashwood, P.
Martin, G.
Brown, J.D.
Zozaya-Valdés, E.
Thomson, R.L.
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Journal article
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Diabetologia, 2025; 68(11):2552-2566
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Alexandra J. Roth-Schulze, Esther Bandala-Sanchez, Katrina M. Ngui, Gaetano Naselli, Helena Oakey, Patricia Ashwood, Guinevere Martin, James D. Brown, Enrique Zozaya, Valdés, Rebecca L. Thomson, Peter G. Colman, John M. Wentworth, Peter J. Vuillermin, Tony Hunyh, Georgia Soldatos, Jennifer J. Couper, Megan A. S. Penno, Leonard C. Harrison, for the ENDIA Study Group.
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Abstract
Aims/hypothesis: The vaginal microbiome has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, which are markedly increased in women with type 1 diabetes. To investigate this relationship, we profiled the vaginal microbiome in pregnant women with and without type 1 diabetes, and in relation to pre-term birth (PTB) and pre-eclampsia (PE) in women with type 1 diabetes. Methods: Bacterial and fungal microbiomes were analysed by 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer 1 sequencing, respectively, in the third trimester of 310 pregnancies (160 with type 1 diabetes) for bacteria, and 147 pregnancies (70 with type 1 diabetes) for fungi. Results: The vaginal microbiome was altered by type 1 diabetes in pregnancy, with an increase in the bacterial species Lactobacillus iners and Lactobacillus jensenii, and in the anaerobic genera Gardnerella, Anaerococcus, Prevotella, Dialister, Peptoniphilus and others that are associated with vaginal dysbiosis. In addition, the abundance of the fungal species Malassezia restricta was increased in women with type 1 diabetes. These changes were associated with increased risks of PTB and PE. PTB was associated with higher bacterial alpha diversity, decreased abundance of Lactobacillus reuteri, and increased abundance of Malassezia fungal genus, family Malasseziaceae and order Malasseziales. PE was associated with higher bacterial alpha diversity, increased abundance of Gardnerella vaginalis and decreased abundance of Candida albicans. Conclusions/interpretation: Adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 diabetes are reflected by distinct changes in the vaginal microbiome. This highlights the importance of monitoring and managing the vaginal microbiome in high-risk pregnancies, particularly those complicated by type 1 diabetes. Early detection and treatment of risk-associated taxa, e.g. G. vaginalis in the case of PE, could potentially improve vaginal health and pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 diabetes.
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Published online: 7 August 2025
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© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.