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

María Pinedo-Bardales; Anne Van Caesbroeck; Sarah Ahannach; Margo Bell; Severien Van Keer; Laura Téblick; Isabel Erreygers; Sam Bakelants; Sarah Van den Bosch; Sandra Condori-Catachura; Stijn Wittouck; Alex Vorsters; Sarah Lebeer

doi:10.1101/2025.03.14.643287

MicrobiologybioRxivMar 14, 2025

Preprint

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

María Pinedo-Bardales iD, Anne Van Caesbroeck iD, Sarah Ahannach iD, Margo Bell iD, Severien Van Keer iD, Laura Téblick iD, Isabel Erreygers iD, Sam Bakelants iD, Sarah Van den Bosch iD, Sandra Condori-Catachura iD, Stijn Wittouck iD, Alex Vorsters iD, Sarah Lebeer iD

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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