Descrição do microbioma de neovagina construída com pele de tilápia

Abstract

This study describes the microbiome of neovaginas constructed with lyophilized Nile tilapia fish skin in patients with vaginal agenesis and compares its findings with the microbiome of neovaginas made with autologous skin grafts, the fecal microbiome of the same patients, and the typical vaginal microbiome of a control group. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 23 patients treated at the Maternidade Escola Assis Chateaubriand Assis Chateaubriand Teaching Maternity Hospital of the Universidade Federal do Ceará Federal University of Ceará MEAC/UFC, including 18 who underwent neovaginoplasty with tilapia skin and 5 with autologous skin grafts. A total of 41 vaginal and fecal samples were analyzed, collected between July 2022 and May 2023, stored at -80 °C at the Núcleo de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento de Medicamentos Center for Research and Drug Development NPDM/UFC, and processed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing at the Laboratório de Investigação Médica 49 Medical Investigation Laboratory 49 LIM 49 of the Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade de São Paulo Clinical Hospital of the University of São Paulo HCFUSP. Results: The data revealed the presence of the phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Fusobacteriota, and Proteobacteria. At the genus level, most neovaginal samples tilapia and autologous presented Lactobacillus, Prevotella, and Streptococcus. In neovaginas with tilapia skin, Finegoldia, Faecalibacterium, and Bacteroides were found in lower abundance. Fecal samples showed higher abundance of Prevotella, Faecalibacterium, and Bacteroides. The predominance of Lactobacillus iners in the neovaginal samples, along with anaerobic species, suggested similarities with bacterial community types CSTs III and IV, according to the classification proposed by Ravel et al. 2011 for the vaginal microbiota. Conclusions: The results indicate that tilapia skin may support colonization by bacterial communities similar to those found in the human vagina, reinforcing its potential as an alternative biomaterial to other grafts. This is the first study to use next-generation sequencing to characterize the microbiome of neovaginas lined with tilapia skin, providing novel insights into the microbiological implications of this surgical technique.