Moraxella osloensis as a part of genital tract microbiota in infertility: incidental findings or pathology markers?

Abstract

Aim. To assess the potential role of M. osloensis in genital microbiota of infertile males and females..Materials and methods. Samples from men’s urethra and women’s posterior vaginal fornix in barren couples of the reproductive age were examined. Cultivation was carried out using elective culture media with subsequent identification of strains by biochemical properties. A metagenomic study of 16S ribosomal RNA samples was performed on the Illumina MiSeq platform using the MiSeq Reagent Kits v3 kit (600-Cycle Kit).Results. Metagenomic study of samples from genital tracts of barren married couples, as well as from patients with suspected «acute genital gonococcal infection» demonstrated that all samples (100%) contained fragments of the Moraxella spp. genome, mostly in a huge amount, among which M. osloensis occupied leading positions. In women, the proportion of M. osloensis was twice as large as in men (25.3 ± 9.0 and 11.7 ± 9.3%, respectively). A high frequency of association of M. osloensis with other opportunistic pathogens, G. vaginalis and E. faecalis in particular, was established. It appears that M. osloensis can contribute to development of asymptomatic inflammatory process. Moreover, the constant presence of moraxellas in the microbiota during gonococcal infection may indicate their certain pathogenetic activity, and the synergistic nature of the relationship between M. osloensis and N. gonorrhoeae.Conclusion. We assume that it is M. osloensis that forms the consortia determining pathosymbiocenosis in the reproductive organs. In this context, we propose to consider a decrease in fertility with a steadily established symbiocenosis, including moraxella, as an indicative condition for this pathology, and M. osloensis as its marker.