The female urogenital microbiome: Ecological insights, therapeutic strategies, and molecular mechanisms.

Microbiome-based interventions for female urogenital health have gained attention, particularly in strategies aimed at restoring lactobacilli dominance to reduce infection and improve reproductive outcomes. These approaches include defined probiotic strains, engineered microbial consortia, and vaginal microbiota transfer. Observational studies have provided ecological insights into the composition and dynamics of the vaginal microbiome; its associations with infections, inflammation, and reproductive complications; and its interplay with urinary and mucosal niches. These data establish a correlative framework linking microbial community structure to health and disease. However, the efficacy of current interventions remains constrained by an incomplete mechanistic understanding of host-microbiome and microbe-microbe interactions. Recent discoveries highlight the role of vaginally derived microbial molecules in modulating host immune responses, stabilizing microbial communities, and influencing disease outcomes. These mechanistic insights provide a basis for the rational design of microbiome-based therapies. This review synthesizes clinical, observational, and mechanistic evidence and outlines research priorities for translation into clinical practice.

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