Women's health outreach using a rapid and fieldable Nanopore-based microbiome profiling workflow.

Abstract

Background In recent years, scientific interest in the vaginal microbiome has increased due to its impact on women's health. Colonization of the Lactobacillus species in the vagina may contribute to protection against vaginal infectious diseases. In order to create public awareness regarding vaginal health and to provide insights into the vaginal microbiome, a rapid field microbiome analysis using Nanopore sequencing was evaluated at Lowlands, a three-day music festival in the Netherlands. This study aimed not only to evaluate a rapid sequencing workflow, but also to explore citizen science as a tool for health promotion and public engagement in women's health. Methods The workflow at Lowlands contained the following steps; (i) Dialogue concerning vaginal health, with invitation to participate. (ii) Informed consent and questionnaire to investigate knowledge on vaginal health, life-style and contraceptive usage; (iii) self-collection of a vaginal swab; (iv) DNA isolation using QuickExtract DNA extraction solution; (v) Ultrafast amplification of the 16S rRNA gene using NextGenPCR thermal cycling using 16S Barcoding kit 24 V14; (vi) Library preparation and sequencing was performed according to the manufacturers protocol using R10 chemistry; (vii) For data-analysis, MABA16S was used, with slight modifications. This workflow was established within 4 hours and results were communicated with interested participants.