阴道菌群失调与持续的 HPV 感染和宫颈癌有关。然而，有关美洲原住民社区阴道微生物群的数据却很少。在这里，我们的目的是阐明微生物组、HPV、社会人口学和行为风险因素之间的关系，以更好地了解美国原住民女性宫颈癌风险增加的情况。在这项试点研究中，我们在亚利桑那州北部招募了 31 名参与者（16 名美洲原住民，15 名非原住民女性），并检查了阴道微生物群组成、HPV 状态和免疫介质。我们还评估了个人的社会人口统计信息以及身体、心理、性和生殖健康。总体而言，微生物群分布以常见的乳酸菌种类（与阴道健康相关）或细菌性阴道病相关细菌的混合物为主。只有 44% 的原住民女性表现出乳酸菌优势，而非原住民女性的这一比例为 58%。患有阴道生态失调的女性阴道 pH 值也升高，并且更容易感染高危 HPV。此外，我们观察到家庭中多人、教育水平较低以及阴道菌群失调和特定细菌种类丰富之间的关联。最后，微生物群失调的女性阴道促炎细胞因子水平升高。总而言之，这些发现表明 HPV、阴道微生物群和宿主防御之间存在相互作用，这可能在美国原住民女性宫颈癌差异中发挥作用。未来需要进行纵向研究，以确定在健康社会决定因素背景下阴道微生物群在 HPV 持续存在中的机制作用，以实现缩小非西班牙裔白人和美洲原住民之间健康差距的长期目标。

Vaginal dysbiosis is implicated in persistent HPV infection and cervical cancer. Yet, there is a paucity of data on the vaginal microbiome in Native American communities. Here, we aimed to elucidate the relationships between microbiome, HPV, sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors to better understand an increased cervical cancer risk in Native American women. In this pilot study, we recruited 31 participants (16 Native American, 15 non-Native women) in Northern Arizona and examined vaginal microbiota composition, HPV status, and immune mediators. We also assessed individuals' sociodemographic information, and physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health. Overall, microbiota profiles were dominated by common Lactobacillus species (associated with vaginal health) or a mixture of bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria. Only 44% of Native women exhibited Lactobacillus dominance, compared to 58% of non-Native women. Women with vaginal dysbiosis also had elevated vaginal pH and were more frequently infected with high-risk HPV. Furthermore, we observed associations of multiple people in a household, lower level of education, and high parity with vaginal dysbiosis and abundance of specific bacterial species. Finally, women with dysbiotic microbiota presented with elevated vaginal levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Altogether, these findings indicate an interplay between HPV, vaginal microbiota, and host defense, which may play a role in the cervical cancer disparity among Native American women. Future longitudinal studies are needed to determine the mechanistic role of vaginal microbiota in HPV persistence in the context of social determinants of health toward the long-term goal of reducing health disparities between non-Hispanic White and Native American populations.