title: Bacterial communities of the coronal sulcus and distal urethra of adolescent males.
abstract: Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal microbiotas are associated with reproductive health and STI resistance in women, whereas altered microbiotas are associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV), STI risk and poor reproductive outcomes. Putative vaginal taxa have been observed in male first-catch urine, urethral swab and coronal sulcus (CS) specimens but the significance of these observations is unclear. We used 16 S rRNA sequencing to characterize the microbiota of the CS and urine collected from 18 adolescent men over three consecutive months. CS microbiotas of most participants were more stable than their urine microbiotas and the composition of CS microbiotas were strongly influenced by circumcision. BV-associated taxa, including Atopobium, Megasphaera, Mobiluncus, Prevotella and Gemella, were detected in CS specimens from sexually experienced and inexperienced participants. In contrast, urine primarily contained taxa that were not abundant in CS specimens. Lactobacilllus and Streptococcus were major urine taxa but their abundance was inversely correlated. In contrast, Sneathia, Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma were only found in urine from sexually active participants. Thus, the CS and urine support stable and distinct bacterial communities. Finally, our results suggest that the penis and the urethra can be colonized by a variety of BV-associated taxa and that some of these colonizations result from partnered sexual activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America. nelsonde@indiana.edu
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Qunfeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Van der Pol
authors.forename: Evelyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toh
authors.forename: Baochang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Barry P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Deming
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mi
authors.forename: Ruichen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rong
authors.forename: George M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Weinstock
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sodergren
authors.forename: J Dennis
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Fortenberry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002944:Circumcision, Male; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054892:Metagenome / Q000235:genetics; D010413:Penis / Q000382:microbiology*; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012747:Sexual Partners; D014521:Urethra / Q000382:microbiology*; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S