Invited Talk ESA-SRB-ANZOS 2025 in conjunction with ENSA

The vaginal microbiome as a modifier of pregnancy outcomes (129904)

David MacIntyre 1
  1. Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, North Adelaide, SA, Australia

The vagina is colonised by a dynamic community of bacteria, viruses and fungi, collectively termed the ‘microbiome’. In this talk I will describe how vaginal microbiome compositions can modulate host immune and inflammatory responses implicated in key stages of pregnancy, including parturition and labour. I will also present recent findings from our laboratory demonstrating how different vaginal bacteria target glycan structures throughout the reproductive tract to modulate colonisation dynamics and host immune responses. Finally, results from recent studies using live vaginal biotherapeutics designed to modulate the microbiome to improve pregnancy outcomes will be shared.