Description
The vaginal microbiome is a specific compartment of the human microbiome. Unique conditions of the vagina are characterized by a few microbial species, usually lactobacilli.
The vaginal microbiome harbors diverse communities of microorganisms, known as vaginal flora which has an important impact on women’s health as well as that of their newborns.
The cervicovaginal ecosystem is made up of diverse microorganisms coexisting in a dynamic balance and establishing complex connections with each other and with the host. In healthy reproductive-aged women, the vaginal microbiome, generally, shows a predominance of Lactobacillus genus, and most women display the prevalence of one species among L. crispatus, L. iners, L. jensenii and L. gasseri1.
Lactobacilli promote the maintenance of the vaginal homeostasis and prevent the colonization and growth of adverse microorganisms, including those responsible for sexually transmitted infections (STI).
The composition of the vaginal microbiota depends on age, menstruations, hormonal fluctuations, sexual behaviors, and also the use of drugs such as probiotics and antibiotics causing its imbalance.
As part of the human microbiome project, the study of the vaginal microbiome has shown a relationship between bacteria present in the vagina and diseases.
REAL has developed a complete system for the study of VAGINAL MICROBIOME:
1. VAGINAL SELF-COLLECTION SWAB for the collection and stabilization of microbial DNA from vagina for microbiome analysis.
The new solution for home self-sampling, collection, shipping and easy processing in the laboratory
The vaginal swab is a newer method of collection that offers several advantages compared to traditional methods:
• Reduce time
• Absolute privacy
• Increased comfort
2. REAL MICROBIOME VAGINAL DNA Kit has been designed for a fast and efficient purification of microbial DNA from vaginal samples.
Beginning with a bead-beating protocol, cells are lysed through a combination of mechanical force, heat and detergent, vortexed using horizontal adapter for the Vortex Genie 2 Vortex or using others common disruption devices.
Appropriate DNA binding conditions to the Microbial DNA Columns are achieved by addition of large amounts of chaotropic salts (Binding Buffer) to the lysate. Contaminants are removed by two efficient washing steps. Afterwards, The resulting DNA is recovered in a DNA-free Tris buffer to use for subsequent reactions.
VAGINAL SELF-COLLECTION SWAB
• Easy to use
• Made of nylon FLOQSwabs® for soft collection
• Round shape design to reduce discomfort during the collection
• Designed to standardize the collection (one time right, no repeated sampling)
• Ergonomic shaft to facilitate the rotatory movement
• Red mark to show fingers position
• Ability to preserve nucleic acids stability up to 4 weeks at room temperature
• The new solution for home self-sampling, collection, shipping and easy processing in the laboratory
• The peel able barcode on tube label ensures efficient and straightforward sample tracking.
• The swabs are included in the kit and can be purchased separately
REAL MICROBIOME VAGINAL DNA Kit
• Designed for rapid purification of highly pure microbial DNA for microbiome analysis.
• Silica-membrane technology with MiniSpin columns.
• Bead Microtubes for efficient lysis included in combination liquid Proteinase K.
• Sample material: vaginal swabs samples.
• Typical yield: it depends on patient.
• Preparation Time: 35 min.
• Elution volume: 100 µl.
Microbial composition of vaginal sample preserved at room temperature for 4 different women with VAGINAL SELF-COLLECTION SWAB. Vaginal samples were taken using our system and stored at room temperature. They were processed with the REAL MICROBIOME VAGINAL DNA Kit. The extracted DNA was subjected to microbial composition profiling via 16S rRNA gene targeted sequencing. Fig.1
References:
| Reference | Description | Presentation |
| RBMEGS20 | REAL MICROBIOME VAGINAL DNA Kit* | 50 |
*Kit contains the Vaginal self-collection swabs and the reagents for the DNA isolation. Swabs can be purchased separately.
