First-void urine and cervicovaginal brushes as sampling devices for vaginal microbiome studies: a proof-of-concept study

Pinedo-Bardales, M.; Van Caesbroeck, A.; Ahannach, S.; Bell, M.; Van Keer, S.; Teblick, L.; Erreygers, I.; Bakelants, S.; Van den Bosch, S.; Condori-Catachura, S.; Wittouck, S.; Vorsters, A.; Lebeer, S.

doi:10.1101/2025.03.14.643287

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.03.14.643287

First-void urine and cervicovaginal brushes as sampling devices for vaginal microbiome studies: a proof-of-concept study

Pinedo-Bardales, M.·Van Caesbroeck, A.·Ahannach, S.·Bell, M.·Van Keer, S.·Teblick, L.·Erreygers, I.·Bakelants, S.·Van den Bosch, S.·Condori-Catachura, S.·Wittouck, S.·Vorsters, A.·Lebeer, S.

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Abstract

This proof-of-concept study compares first-void urine (FVU) and cervicovaginal brushes to vaginal swabs for microbiome profiling in ten women. FVU and brushes provided comparable results in most cases, though storage conditions influenced microbial composition, especially for FVU. Despite limitations in sample size and diversity in participants, findings support these methods potential for self-sampling in womens health research, emphasizing the need for optimized techniques to improve vaginal microbiome profiling.

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Pinedo-Bardales, M., Van Caesbroeck, A., Ahannach, S., Bell, M., Van Keer, S., Teblick, L., Erreygers, I., Bakelants, S., Van den Bosch, S., Condori-Catachura, S., Wittouck, S., Vorsters, A., Lebeer, S.. 2025-03-15. First-void urine and cervicovaginal brushes as sampling devices for vaginal microbiome studies: a proof-of-concept study. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.14.643287

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