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Antimicrobial and immune modulatory effects of vaginal microbiota metabolites

HIV disproportionately affects adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa, but those with an optimal vaginal microbiome are less susceptible. A nonoptimal vaginal microbiome is characterised by increased vaginal pH and different concentrations of microbiota metabolites. We aim to determine the role of these metabolites in inactivating HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and their effects on cells of the female reproductive tract.

This study aims to determine the antiviral and immune modulatory effects of organic acid metabolites (including lactic acid, short chain fatty acids and succinic acid) to understand their role in either helping to protect against or to promote acquisition of HIV and STIs.

Physiological concentrations of microbiota metabolites will be assessed for ability to inactivate HIV and other STIs as well as to decrease or promote the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in cervicovaginal cell culture models.

Understanding the antimicrobial and immune modulatory effects of vaginal microbiota metabolites may lead to new strategies to optimize the vaginal microbiome and environment to prevent HIV and other STIs.

Professor Gilda Tachedjian

Contact Professor Gilda Tachedjian for more information about this project.

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Antimicrobial and immune modulatory effects of vaginal microbiota metabolites

Women colonised with optimal cervicovaginal microbiota, typically dominated by Lactobacillus species, are protected against HIV in contrast to women with a non-optimal vaginal microbiome (i.e. those with bacterial vaginosis). Women with bacterial vaginosis experience a dramatic increase in vaginal pH and changes in the concentrations of vaginal microbiota metabolites including lactic acid, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and succinic acid. 

Funding
Partners

  • NHMRC

Partners +
Collaborators

  • Dr Muriel Aldunate
  • Dr Anna Hearps
  • Professor Deborah Anderson
  • Dr Joshua Hayward
  • Professor Catriona Bradshaw
  • Dr Raffi Gugasyan
  • Prof Jacques Ravel
  • Dr Thomas Moench
  • Professor Richard Cone

Project
Team

Meet the project team. Together, we are translating research into better health, for all.

Doctor Celine Deffrasnes

SENIOR RESEARCH OFFICER

Celine completed her PhD in microbiology and immunology at the Infectious Disease...

Doctor Paula Ellenberg

LABORATORY MANAGER

Dr Paula Ellenberg is a mid-career researcher with 12 years of post-doctoral experience...

Doctor Joshua Hayward

SENIOR RESEARCH OFFICER

Dr. Hayward is a molecular virologist and computational biologist working within the Retroviral Biol...

Doctor Anna Hearps

DEPUTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, DISEASE ELIMINATION; HEAD, INFECTION, INFLAMMATION AND INNATE IMMUNITY GROUP

Dr Anna Hearps works at Burnet as a Deputy Program Director for the Disease Elimination program...

Brianna Jesaveluk

PHD STUDENT

Brianna has been based at the Burnet Institute since 2018, where she first completed...

Professor Gilda Tachedjian

HEAD, LIFE SCIENCES DISCIPLINE; HEAD, RETROVIRAL BIOLOGY AND ANTIVIRALS LABORATORY

Awarded her PhD at Monash University, Professor Tachedjian received an NHMRC...

Publications

VIEW ALL RESEARCH
Distinct Immune Responses Elicited From Cervicovaginal Epithelial Cells by Lactic Acid and Short Chain Fatty Acids Associated With Optimal and Non-optimal Vaginal Microbiota.

Delgado-Diaz DJ, Tyssen D, Hayward JA, Gugasyan R, Hearps AC, Tachedjian G

  • Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology
  • 10 Jan 2020
The Evolving Facets of Bacterial Vaginosis: Implications for HIV Transmission.

McKinnon LR, Achilles SL, Bradshaw CS, Burgener A, Crucitti T, Fredricks DN, Jaspan HB, Kaul R, Kaushic C, Klatt N, Kwon DS, Marrazzo JM, Masson L, McClelland RS, Ravel J, van de Wijgert JHHM, Vodstrcil LA, Tachedjian G

  • AIDS research and human retroviruses
  • 26 Feb 2020
The implausible "in vivo" role of hydrogen peroxide as an antimicrobial factor produced by vaginal microbiota.

Tachedjian G, O'Hanlon DE, Ravel J

  • Microbiome
  • 06 Feb 2018
The role of lactic acid production by probiotic Lactobacillus species in vaginal health.

Tachedjian G, Aldunate M, Bradshaw CS, Cone RA

  • Research in microbiology
  • 20 Apr 2017
Vaginal lactic acid elicits an anti-inflammatory response from human cervicovaginal epithelial cells and inhibits production of pro-inflammatory mediators associated with HIV acquisition.

Hearps AC, Tyssen D, Srbinovski D, Bayigga L, Diaz DJD, Aldunate M, Cone RA, Gugasyan R, Anderson DJ, Tachedjian G

  • Mucosal immunology
  • 12 Apr 2017
Antimicrobial and immune modulatory effects of lactic acid and short chain fatty acids produced by vaginal microbiota associated with eubiosis and bacterial vaginosis.

Aldunate M, Srbinovski D, Hearps AC, Latham CF, Ramsland PA, Gugasyan R, Cone RA, Tachedjian G

  • Frontiers in physiology
  • 02 Jun 2015
Vaginal concentrations of lactic acid potently inactivate HIV.

Aldunate M, Tyssen D, Johnson A, Zakir T, Sonza S, Moench T, Cone R, Tachedjian G

  • The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy
  • 08 May 2013