Towards a sequential microbiome therapy for HPV-associated cervicovaginal dysbiosis
Abstract
Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infections are the principal cause of cervical cancer, and are increasingly associated with ecological instability of the cervicovaginal microbiome. Multiomics studies indicate that hrHPV persistence is linked to reduced Lactobacillus dominance, increased anaerobic taxa, and metabolic alterations that may compromise epithelial integrity and antiviral immunity. In this Perspective article, we introduce a sequential microbiome therapy (SMT) framework designed to restore cervicovaginal ecological balance and support viral clearance. SMT is a two-phase, strain-resolved strategy. The first phase targets dysbiotic communities using antimicrobials, biofilm-disrupting or microbiota-modulating approaches to create a window for ecological reset. The second phase introduces health-associated Lactobacillus species selected for their acidification capacity, competitive fitness, and ability to stabilize the mucosal environment. We outline the ecological principles underpinning SMT and discuss its development as a potentially scalable microbiome-directed strategy for restoring cervicovaginal health and managing hrHPV-associated disease within existing cervical cancer prevention frameworks.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{molina2026towards,
title = {{Towards a sequential microbiome therapy for HPV-associated cervicovaginal dysbiosis}},
author = {Mariano A. Molina and Yichan Zhang and Renske D. M. Steenbergen and Willem J. G. Melchers and Juan Du},
journal = {Communications Biology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s42003-026-11208-6},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-11208-6},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Towards a sequential microbiome therapy for HPV-associated cervicovaginal dysbiosis
AU - Mariano A. Molina
AU - Yichan Zhang
AU - Renske D. M. Steenbergen
AU - Willem J. G. Melchers
AU - Juan Du
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Communications Biology
DO - 10.1038/s42003-026-11208-6
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-11208-6
AB - Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infections are the principal cause of cervical cancer, and are increasingly associated with ecological instability of the cervicovaginal microbiome. Multiomics studies indicate that hrHPV persistence is linked to reduced Lactobacillus dominance, increased anaerobic taxa, and metabolic alterations that may compromise epithelial integrity and antiviral immunity. In this Perspective article, we introduce a sequential microbiome therapy (SMT) framework designed to restore cervicovaginal ecological balance and support viral clearance. SMT is a two-phase, strain-resolved strategy. The first phase targets dysbiotic communities using antimicrobials, biofilm-disrupting or microbiota-modulating approaches to create a window for ecological reset. The second phase introduces health-associated Lactobacillus species selected for their acidification capacity, competitive fitness, and ability to stabilize the mucosal environment. We outline the ecological principles underpinning SMT and discuss its development as a potentially scalable microbiome-directed strategy for restoring cervicovaginal health and managing hrHPV-associated disease within existing cervical cancer prevention frameworks.
SN - 2399-3642
ER -